Dark Vision
by Shoove
Summary: While following a lead that might help his people, Damek is forced to search New York City. After hitting another dead-end he stumbles upon a woman who captures his attention, and seems to be able to see more then a normal human should.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Babblings: I do not own the Carpathian stories or concept, although all of the characters used in my story are of my own creation. I will be attempting a weekly update until the story is done. (We will see if I manage it though). Reviews are appreciated, and no I don't know exactly where this is going so all of you readers (as I am hoping to get more then one… or at least more then none to follow along) will be finding out how this goes pretty much as I do. Now I hope you enjoy. ^_^

Chapter 1

Damek slid through the night unseen as agitation filled his being. The lead he had been following had proven to be yet another dead-end. And for the first time he found himself truly questioning how humans, mere mortals, could arrange this, if it was even true, and if it was worth all that he was going through. He had been forced to go to ground in such a dangerous, exposed place. And his surroundings had made everything that much more difficult. Without thought he had drifted into the park, the only patch of open earth on the god-forsaken island of steel and concrete, over run with all the dregs of humanity.

Dispelling his tumultuous thoughts, he scanned the area, and looked for pray. Small animals abounded, as did humans in spite of the fact that darkness had fallen. Near by there was a particularly promising prospect, a young woman in her mid to late twenties sitting alone on a bench. He could smell no drugs, nor sense illness to indicate that she was not in good health. The largest living thing near her was a dog running about in the bushes chasing a squirrel.

Letting the air currents carry his mist form he approached her, slipping into the stand of trees behind her. Once he had her in his sight he began looking the area over. It was lit by one of the many lampposts that lined the main paths. Moving along the tree line, as it arched around the bench and toward the path's edge, he checked for security cameras. The last thing his people needed was to give the human butchers any more 'proof'.

Once he was certain there were no cameras and that no one would disturb them, he began to move away from the trees and toward her. While he pulled the mist into his rough form, he did not make himself visible, not yet. He would not do that until she was under his thrall. And truth be told, the only reason why he had yet to do that was because the chaotic thoughts had begun to creep back in, playing havoc with his concentration.

If he were in his true form he would have shaken his head. It had to be this place, so little earth, so many toxins, so many people, and so much noise. It had to be the place that was causing him so much difficulty. Making his foul mood even worse.

"A beautiful night, is it not?"

As caught up in his thoughts as he was, it took Damek a moment to realize that she had spoken. Freezing, he scanned again; there were still no others around, none that she could have been speaking to. Double checking to be sure, his senses told him yet again, the same thing: there was no one else there.

"I find that breathing in the night air, here, away from the noise, helps to clear my head." A squeal of tires followed by a long horn blast caused her to chuckle and amend her statement. "Well, at least most of the noise that is."

An odd sensation went through Damek's being, even though he was little more then a cloud of molecules. The sensation told him that it was he she was talking to.

As if to confirm this she turned to face him. The glasses she wore reflected the light from the lamppost so that he could not see her eyes. But he could feel that she was looking directly at him, even though he could not be seen. It looked as though she was going to say something more but was interrupted before the first word could leave her lips by a beeping from very near her person.

Turning back she reached into her pocket and silenced the noise. In a stronger tone she called out, "Eddie, come. Work time."

The dog, which had been looking for another squirrel to chase, stilled instantly at the sound of her voice, and started bounding toward her as soon as the second word had left her lips.

"And before you say anything, he does have a leash. I just happened to let go of the other end for a time."

Damek found himself controlling the urge to chuckle, in spite of the fact that he needed to determine just how she knew he was there. A human physic would have reacted to not being able to see him; she did not. And had it been the influence of a vampire he would have sensed it by now. There was no taint of that kind of unnatural corruption lingering near by, and certainly none that came from her.

It took him a moment to notice that she had gathered her bag without looking at it, and then it all made sense to him, just as the dog, a German Shepard, bounded out of a nearby bush and into sight.

She was blind.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Babblings: Alright, so once a week was little ambitious. But to those who have commented and subscribed I would like to say thank you. It helps to get feedback, particularly the positive kind. One thing I would like to make clear right now is that I am a person who likes to get their facts straight. The idea of putting stuff out there that I'm not sure of is a little scary and I'm going to be headed into a lot of that territory. So if you notice something that is inaccurate (like say the interaction between a blind person and their seeing-eye dog) feel free to correct me on it… just try to say it nicely. (The same goes with other edits, because I normally look things over a dozen times before showing them to others.) Now, on with the story!

Chapter 2

Damek watched as Eddie, the seeing-eye dog, approach his owner. The dog stepped beneath her outstretched hand so that the handle of the leash was placed just so that all she had to do was wrap her fingers about it.

She was a human psychic, and a strong one too, although from what Damek's instinct told he she was most likely unaware of it.

Uncertainty and indecision were hardly familiar to Damek, but he was honestly torn with just how to handle the woman before him. While trying to decide he observed her appearance, noting the simple tailored lines of her clothing, and her long light colored hair that was pulled back into an intricate braid. He knew her jacket to be a textured grey, her top a deep rich purple, and her hair to be a mixture of light brown and honey blond. Even though he could not see color, nor had been able to for several hundred years, he somehow always knew what color everything was.

All of her things gathered she stood and turned to face him once more. "I hope that your evening turns out better then it started." With that she offered a smile and started to walk down the path.

She was headed away from him and toward trouble. Several young men were handing about on a branch off of the main path, not far ahead of her. That area was ill lit and their thoughts were even darker then the path they stood on.

As strange as it should have felt to materialize in front of a mortal who did not know of his people, and was not under his thrall, Damek found that he did so without hesitation. Intellect told him that it was simply because she was blind, and would not know the difference. His instinct told him that there was something more, but he pushed that aside for further analysis later.

"The night is full of dangers for a lone woman such as yourself. Perhaps I could escort you to your destination?" Damek added a subtle compulsion to his tone, but was careful not to push to hard. His first instinct was to protect her, but he knew that he had to tread with care so as not to alarm her since she did have mental defenses of her own.

She stopped and turned back toward him, showing no reaction to his subtle mental invasion. Her dog Eddie however did react to his appearance by shifting so that he was between his owner and Damek before letting out a low growl and showing his teeth.

"Eddie!" She sounded surprised. "Quiet." Her scolding was accompanied by her reaching down to pat his side.

Touching the mind of the animal told Damek that Eddie saw him for the dominant predator he was. Yet the dog was willing to fight to protect his owner if it came to that, with no hesitation. And although Damek's first thought was to calm the creature he found the dog shielded through a connection with his owner; an owner who was working mentally to calm the dog herself, whether she was aware of it or not.

Interesting.

"I'm sorry," she offered apologetically, "he doesn't normally act like this." There was a quick but noticeable pause before she switched to a different topic entirely. "I really must go now, I meet with a friend at one of the park entrances. She doesn't like me going into the park alone so she meets with me to be sure that I make it out in one piece."

Before she could start walking again Damek spoke, entwining a stronger compulsion with his words. "Perhaps I could simply walk with you to your friend?"

He refused to simply let her walk, literally, blindly into danger.

Her expression was that of indecision. Without touching her mind he could tell that she was reluctant to allow a perfect stranger to get too close, but that she could sense the danger that lay ahead. It became a matter of which she thought was the greater threat.

"Alright," she said reluctantly. "But we need to get going because if I'm even a minute late my friend is the type to call the National Guard at the first hint of trouble."

Deciding that he liked this friend already, Damek fell in step to her left side, allowing Eddie to remain between them. Trying to bend the dog's will to his own for such a short distance seemed to much of a risk since it could result in alerting the woman to the truth about him.

His movements were smooth, more like gliding then walking. This was accentuated by the way his clothing hardly rustled. Both of these would have been noticeable to the average person it they were paying attention. To her they were impossible to miss, and were dually noted.

Simply walking beside her brought Damek a measure peace, soothing the empty ache that filled his being as it had for centuries. Realizing that nearly set him on edge, but instead he chose to distract himself. "Do you mind me asking what your name is?"

She offered a sheepish smile as she dipped her head is a subtle and feminine gesture. "I'm sorry. I tend to forget about the simple introductions."

"There is no need to apologize, you have done nothing wrong." Damek decided to allow himself to just be at ease with the calm that her presence offered. "Perhaps I could go first?"

"No, that's alright." Her response came with another smile directed towards him. "My name is Helena. Most people call me Ella."

"It is a beautiful name." He responded honestly, in a low silky voice without thinking.

He could tell that her cheeks darkened at his words. On any other he would have considered that a coy attempt to beguile, and yet with her it seemed genuine. She was far to innocent and pure for it to be anything more then it was.

"I am Damek."

"That's different," Helena took a moment to consider it before adding, "it suits you."

Intrigued, he asked, "What leads you to that conclusion?"

She let out a soft laugh. "I have found that it's difficult to explain, but I have always had this ability to just sense things about people."

"Hmm," was all that Damek offered, allowing silence to fall between them. It made sense that as a psychic she would simply know these things; he was puzzled about her ability to know them about him though. He had mental safe guards in place, and knew how to mask his very presence if necessary. Yet it seemed that she had no difficulty getting through all of that.

The smell of her blood called to him, reminding him of his growing need. Scanning the area revealed that the ruffians lurking on the path were still there. Touching their minds he ensured that they would not wonder off any time soon. Those that would in a group pray on a single individual who was weaker constituted the filth of society. And none of that filth had particularly tainted blood, offering him the sustenance that his body needed.

Helena broke the silence. "The entrance is just ahead and I am sure that my friend is waiting for me. So if there is something that you have to do, even if I manage to get mugged between here and there, she'll be able to hear me scream." She added a gentile smile.

"I suppose that is true." Damek allowed his tone to lighten to match her gently teasing one. "Have a good evening."

"You too."

With a final smile she continued on her way while Damek turned back into the park. His dinner was waiting and he didn't want to keep them long. And once he had fed he would return to the search that had brought him to this place. For that he had all the time in the world, however long it took.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Babblings: I know this one is short, and I almost didn't add it. But I figured it'll help give you a slightly better feel for Helena and introduce you to that friend that would call the National Guard if she thought something had happened to her. Also getting reader responses really helps me to feel inspired to write *hint, hint, hint*. Now, back to the story.

Chapter 3

Helena's pace slowed until she stopped. She could tell that the man who called himself Damek had turned and headed back into the park. His purpose though was difficult for her to sort out. And that was unusual: she could normally tell. But then again, a great many things had been unusual about the man she had just met.

"Your late." The curt female voice pulled Helena back to the present. "And you're just standing around to boot."

Turning toward Rebecca, Helena gave her friend a smile and moved to meet her. The smile however was distracted and not as convincing as she had tried to make it.

"What happened." There was no question in Rebecca's tone, it was an order.

"It's nothing Becs."

Rebecca snorted.

Helena sighed. "I just met a man in the park and he…" her voice trailed off, not sure what she was trying to explain let alone how to explain it.

Rebecca glanced at her friend, her tone losing some of its sarcastic edge. "And he what?"

"I don't know Becs," she paused as they left the park and turned toward her apartment building. "He was in a lot of pain, and was just… different, somehow."

Rebecca shook her head. "I'd think you'd get exposed to enough pain in your day job while working with abused and troubled kids."

"You make it sound like I went and sought him out. He was the one how walked over and found me."

"Fine, I'll give you that," Rebecca conceded. "But what do you mean he was different?"

Helena shook her head. She couldn't think of how to explain it other then she just knew, and was interrupted before she really had the chance to try. Rebecca's phone went off, she had received a text. Flipping it open her walking slowed as she read until she had stopped.

"Something good I take it?" Helena could sense a drastic upswing in her companion's mood.

"Yah." Rebecca read the message again before elaborating. "The lab was able to ID all of the finger prints that were lifted, and it seems that some other things have fallen into place. Kev and I might just close this case before the week ends. But he needs me to come in."

"Go." Helena said firmly with a smile. She knew how worried Becs, and her partner Kevin, had been about bringing closure to the family in this case, and sooner rather then later. "I'm nearly home anyway and Jim, my doorman, you do remember him, right? He's expecting me. Like always. I'll be fine. You and Kev go break this case and bring the murdering bastard to justice."

Rebecca started to turn to leave, but added before she got going. "God, it sounds so strange to hear you swear. I'll see you tomorrow."

They each went their separate ways; Rebecca to the precinct, and Helena, along with Eddie, back to her apartment.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Babblings: For those of you who have made it this far: Thank you. I'll admit to being a dork and following the number of visitors and hits I get on a daily basis. Although this past weekend I was doing something else that prevented me from getting to a computer from Friday night through Sunday night. So I'm sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out. Also this isn't as long as I had originally wanted it to be. And try to understand that most of this (the story as a whole) is scribbled down during coffee breaks and over lunch. Now, that's more then enough of that, so on with the story!

Chapter 4

If all roads once lead to Rome, all roads now lead to New York City. Or at least that was how it seemed to Damek. What few additional leads he had managed to uncover the night before had all lead him back to the city where, like all of the others, they simply stopped, dead-ended. However, the travels allowed him to find a better place to go to ground not far outside of the city. Clout cover from a gray day, and the sun setting earlier from the coming winter allowed him to rise and feed before making his way to Central Park.

Damek's first thought was to glide in, unseen, but he decided against that. If he intended to spend any real time around a mortal than it was far more prudent to behave as much like a mortal as he could. At least within reason.

Going over the closest entrances he knew that he would appear on more then one security camera no matter which route he took, so he looked for a good place to shift out of his bird form. Selecting an alleyway that opened onto streets at both ends, across one of which was the park. Swooping low he landed while shifting back to his true form in the shadows.

A moment's thought decided his clothing. The typical garb of his people would be considered dated by modern humans, so he needed something that would not cause him to stand out unnecessarily. A lose button down shirt made of a medium grey silk, and black slacks with black leather shoes. His long hair was gathered and tied at the base of his neck with a leather thong.

Damek's overall appearance was typical for a male of his race with two notably exceptions. The first and more obvious of the two being his eyes: a startling icy blue. The second was his stature, which was smaller then that of the average Carpathian male. He was still taller then most humans, and had strong defined muscles. He simply did not tower over mortals or have limbs like tree trunks, at least not large ones. This lack of size or ability produce raw brute strength did not bother him for he had learned at a young age that he had a talent that was far more unique and valuable.

He had a very particular aptitude for gathering information. It was difficult for him to explain just how he did it but snippets of information, faint trails, even whispers on the wind found their way into his mind, which sorted them all out, instinctively able to know what they meant and how they fit together. If something existed, if a person was out there, if a location was kept hidden, given some time he could always find it no matter how well the tracks were covered. Most of his race gave this talent little thought but the ancients knew better from experience and valued what he reported, having seen his word prove to be true time and time again.

That was his whole reason for being in the city now. Some time ago he had caught word that there existed a network of strong human psychics who knew of one another. More importantly there was one in particular, a woman, how had her own ability for finding her fellow psychics. Upon reporting this to his Prince, Mikhail had tasked him with finding this woman and making contact with her. He had also been told not to alert any others to what he was doing, and to hide his presence, if needed, from any unattached males of their kind. This was a precaution, mostly for her safety, although there were other reasons as well.

But even for him it had proven to be difficult, forcing him to reenter the city several times. However he had now found another reason for coming, and one that was far more soothing to his broken soul.

As he crossed the street, before setting foot in the park, he could tell that she had already arrived. Without scanning he knew that she was at the same bench as before, he could sense it, he could sense her.

Helena.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Babblings: Sorry for the delay again. But there were family things over this past weekend (prep for an upcoming trip & a visit from a cousin who lives on the other side of the country), and the weekend before (Uncle who lives on the other side of the country came to visit too). And I took some time to sit down and read something, since I haven't done that for a while. No, nothing by Christine Feehan, but something by her is next on my list of things to read. But on with the story, since that is what your all here for anyway.

Chapter 5

Damek strode along the park's paths in silence, making his way to where she sat. As soon as he came around a bend and she came into view her gentile laughter drifted to his ears.

"I see you decided to use the paths this time."

He replied calmly. "I find considering all available options a wise thing." The words he chose containing more then one layer of meaning.

"Oh, I'll give you that. But there is something to be said for routine."

The corner of his mouth tugged upwards of its own accord. "And I shall have to give you that."

She had been rearranging her things on the bench and slid to one side, giving him plenty of space to site. "You can sit with me for a while if you'd like." She sounded almost hopeful, yet added, "But don't feel obligated if you have some prior engagement."

Damek simply stood for a moment, not entirely sure how to handle the invitation. "My prior engagement can wait." With that he moved toward the bench, sitting beside her. "Why is it that you do this, if you do not mind me asking; why do you come here, to sit on a bench alone after dark, and allow your Seeing Eye dog to run about?"

"Eddie is a great Seeing Eye dog, and he and I have a very good understanding of one another. But that doesn't change the fact that he's a dog. This is me giving him some time to lose all of the responsibility and discipline and just be a dog." She let out a soft sigh. "As far as the after dark bit, I just always do this at the same time. It's when the sun sets that changes, determining if it's light or dark out. And since it doesn't affect Eddie or me either way I se no reason to change."

Damek nodded, remembering that she was blind, even if she did turn to face him. "I suppose, yet there are things which come about after the sun has set, making the dark more dangerous for all."

He meant it as a subtle reproach. She was taking an unnecessary risk. But her only response was a shrug, dismissing his comment.

"Routine and order are more then just important to someone who is blind, they are key. And for me this time fits into my schedule perfectly because from here I head back home for the night so if Eddie gets tired out or riled up he only has to lead me a little ways before his duties are done for the day. The two of us have been doing this for quite some time, and it has worked well before so I feel there is no reason to change it just because the season is shortening the day light."

Damek knew a reprimand when he heard one. Even if he did not agree, she did have a point. Also, if she had managed up until now he knew that she would not change unless that changed. And with simply suggesting or commanding that she change not an option, he knew that it would take a good deal for him to change her mind without causing something to happen.

For a time he leaned back into the bench, taking in the affect that autumn was having upon the park. Even if the colors of the leaves were not visible to him, Damek knew that there were rich reds, bright yellows and deep oranges. The air carried the cinnamon smell that accompanied fallen leaves but the scent that he could not keep from his nose or his mind was that of her blood. It called to him, even as the idea of feeding on her revolted him, it would not let him go, the beast within him craved to know how she tasted. He needed a distraction.

"So, Damek, what brought you to the city?' Helena asked, breaking into his internal struggle. "I can tell that you don't like it here, so it must be something important."

Partially curious, and interested in keeping the conversation on her Damek asked, "What tells you that I do not enjoy my time in the city?"

"Your tense." Helena started. "You're on edge. I can hear you cloths rustle when ever you move, reacting to noises and such. Although I'll admit there isn't much to hear. Is your shirt silk?"

There should have been no perceptible sound being made by his clothing for her to hear. His scrutiny of her increased drastically though his voice remained the same. "Yes it is, but how does my being aware of my surroundings equate to being tense?"

She threw her head back and let out a laugh, completely catching him by surprise. "Not always, but defensiveness more or less confirms it."

Careful to keep his tone the same velvet timber he responded, "Interesting conclusion seeing as how my voice has not changed."

Helena shook her head as she replied, "to a normal ear it has not, but try and remember that my hearing is sharper. Since I don't have expressions to go on, I have to be able to pick up on the subtle nuances of people's voices and the slight changes of tone. You are very good, but I can still tell."

Damek remained silent. If there was one thing that did understand, above all else, it was that the slightest and most subtle changes could make a world of difference.

"It's the same thing that lets me know that you weren't born in the states."

One of Damek's eyebrows shot up. "I was under the impression that I did not speak with an kind of accent."

"You don't… not really any way," She paused a moment before explaining. "Which, in it's self, is distinctive, and fits in with how your speech is proper and clear. That could mean a strict education, but with your patterns of speech I'd say European. And if I had to guess I'd say South… Eastern Europe?"

Now Damek was truly impressed, and his suspicious thoughts pushed from his mind. He did not reply, but did make a sound of agreement to somewhat confirm her guess. Even with those thoughts suppressed he was still wary and not comfortable with the conversation focusing on him.

Choosing to use that moment to redirect he asked her. "What of you, where to you come from originally?"

" I was born and raised in Massachusetts but ended up here for college and stayed." She thought on it a moment before adding. "For someone like me living in the city allows for independence that I could never have anywhere else. Everything I need I can either walk to or get to using public transportation. If I weren't in the city I would need someone to take me to work, the grocery store, and to go out of their way to check in on me."

"Yet your friend does." Damek couldn't help but point out.

"Yah, well, her profession makes her a bit paranoid about crime, particularly violent ones. And she's more then a bit protective of me, although that's just how she shows people that she cares; she goes all mother hen trying to save the wayward chick from its self."

Before Damek could ask what profession this friend was in Helena's cell phone went off with a series of musical tones forming some song that he was not familiar with.

Helena pulled out the phone and answered it with the same deft precision of any sighted person. "And speaking of the devil, what's up Becs?"

"Hello to you too," the female voice on the other end of the line had a flat somewhat irritated tone. "And just what do you mean 'speak of the devil'?"

Helena, her tone light and carefree, explained in a rather matter of fact tone, "Don't worry it just means that we were talking about you when you called."

Damek, who could easily hear both sides of the conversation, sensed that he would have to put effort into keeping a straight face during the conversation that was starting to take place.

Becs, sounding increasingly irritated replied, "I know what the phrase means, I'm asking what you mean by the 'we' part!"

Helena, still feigning innocence, "Oh, the we just means that I was talking to someone as opposed to talking to myself."

A loud growl of frustration emanated from the earpiece of Helena's phone, which she had moved away from her head, anticipated the response her last comment would get.

"I know that! What I don't know is WHO!"

Helena, working on suppressing a laugh still managed to respond in a mostly even and calm tone. "The gentleman I told you about meeting yesterday, Damek."

There was a noticeably long silence from the other end of the line. "The one you described as being in pain?"

"Yes."

"And also said was abnormal?"

"I didn't use that word but yes."

Another long silence came from Becs' end before she slowly spoke, as if her mind was still chewing over the information. "I'm calling because the case is holding me up so I can't meet you."

"I figured as much, you wouldn't bother calling if you were going to be seeing me shortly." Helena's tone was now even and normal again, free from her previous humor. "It's fine, I'm sure I can make it home by myself one night."

Finally speaking up Damek interjected, "I could escort you to your home."

Apparently having gotten the gist of what Damek had said Becs responded to it directly. "Like hell he will."

"Rebecca!" Helena scolded as opposed to sounding shocked.

"I don't know him so I don't trust him. Besides I already made a couple of calls and a beat cop I do know and trust is out patrolling and agreed to swing by your rout home when you should be getting to your building to make sure you've gotten there."

Now it was Helena's turn to be irritated. "I hardly need a babysitter."

"Says you. I have work to do. I'll pick you up tomorrow for our lunch at the usual time, and we are going to have a nice long chat then."

The line disconnected, effectively cutting off what ever retort Helena might have been planning.

Helena settled back into her seat, letting out a long sigh.

Damek was thinking over how Helena had described him: in pain, and some variation of abnormal. With her mental defenses cutting off his usual method of finding out just what she meant was not an option. And since the volume on her phone had not been loud enough for a normal person to overhear, he could hardly come out and ask. Helena was proving to be difficult puzzle for him to solve then he had anticipated. And with the taxing of his abilities came the usual drain of energy and need to replenish it. Closing his eyes he inhaled deeply, oh how sweat her blood smelled. The beast within him pushed forward making its desire to find out if it tasted as sweat known.

Helena's cell phone began to beep again.

"Eddie, come. Work time." Gathering her bag she spoke in a regular tone to him. "You don't have to walk me back to my building. I'll be just fine and Rebecca has someone that she knows checking to make sure I make it there in one piece. So don't feel obligated to stay when you have your own business to attend to."

Eddie came running up, and while he didn't growl or bark at Damek he did eye him warily. Quickly moving to his owner's side, he managed to position himself between the two again.

Damek ignored this and rose with Helena. "I insist."

The two walked in peace, or at least that was how it might have appeared. Damek was constantly scanning and deterred more then one man from attempting some sort of crime as they walked. Yet his concentration was not fully on this for he was still trying to sort out just what to make of the woman who was walking at his side.

"My building is straight ahead on the next block." Helena told him before pausing to ask, "that car that's slowed down, is it a police cruiser?"

It took Damek a moment to realize that there was indeed a car that had noticeably slowed as it passed. "No it is a taxi."

A sense on unease crept up his spine. A quick scan just showed the driver and two passengers, all male, all normal. But something was amiss and before he could delve further they returned to normal speed and were gone around a corner.

"I am guessing that this friend of yours is on the police force then?" Damek was still distracted by the now gone taxi.

"Yes, and since it wasn't the last one I'm guessing this would be it."

Sure enough another vehicle had slowed as it passed them, and this time it was a police cruiser. Both the driver and passenger were taking a good long look at them as they drove past. Helena offered a smile in their direction and nod to try and confirm her wellbeing.

Hardly a few more feet and they were at the door to a rather nice looking apartment building.

"Good evening Ms. Helena" The doorman greeted her warmly, while looking quickly looking Damek over. "I see you're having company this evening."

Smiling in return Helena's voice was warm as well. "No, just a friend who wanted to make sure I made it home alright." Turning toward Damek, "Thank you and I hope you have a good night."

"And you as well." Damek offered a nod to the doorman before turning back toward the park.

His first instinct was to try and find the taxi, but before he even started he knew it was an impossible pursuit. While he was at a loss as to why, his instincts had reacted to that taxi, and he had long since learned the peril of ignoring what his senses told him. In this case he was forced to turn his attention elsewhere. Stepping into an ally way, his form shifted into that of a bird of pray, taking off into the sky over the city. Opening his senses he began searching for something to verify a possible lead he had found the night before.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Babblings: I seem to be apologizing a lot. Well, it's because I want this to be both prompt and good but I don't have a ton of time. Especially since chaos has been having a wonderful time messing with my life lately. A person can't make that all work. So I fear that something must give, and in this case it's a little off of the promptness and a bit more off of the quality. Sorry… there I go again. What ever, if you readers don't understand that, there isn't much I can do about it. I would say you don't have to read it (which you don't) but I like having people read it. Now, back to what your all _actually_ here for: the story!

Chapter 6

"Right through there Thomas. Mss. Travers is the third on the left."

Tommy didn't thank the woman for her directions and dragged his feet while heading toward the desk of _Mss. Travers_, his new social worker. In the past six years he had been through seven, and she was about to become number eight. He had gotten pulled out of school, although not class because he was in-school suspension, to come and see her. Wasn't she supposed to come see him? It wasn't like he had been going anywhere.

No matter how slow he dragged his feet the desk did come into view and what he saw was not at all what he would have expected, even with his long record. Mss. Travers was a woman probably in her late twenties with long blond hair tied back into a ponytail, fair skin to match. She had on nice cloths, like those that "working" adults wore, not that he really noticed, and mirrored glasses that made it impossible to se her eyes. It was the glasses that held his attention.

Looking up from stacking a folder off to the side of her very neat desk she greeted him with a smile. "Hi, you must be Thomas?" When he didn't respond and simply stood there near her desk she continued. "I'll take that as a yes. I'm Helena Travers you new social worker, please have a seat."

He barely grunted a hi back as he dropped down into the chair next to her desk. It was one of those basic ones: wood, with fabric-covered seat and back that are in all the public office buildings and are impossible to get comfortable in. He knew; he had tried more then once in the past.

She pulled an audio recorder out of a drawer and placed it on the desk between them. "I'm going to record this so that I don't have to take notes until later, ok?"

Tommy just shrugged, why should he care?

She led out a soft chuckle. "I'm guessing that's a whatever." Reaching out she turned the recorder on. "Lets begin then, shall we?"

Tommy shot her a skeptical look, but she continued without noticing, or simply ignored it.

"Your full name is Thomas Mordimer Ralding, and you are thirteen years old. According to your file you have been in the foster care system since you were seven, and that in the past six years you have had seven different social workers, been in two group homes and lived with five different foster families, including where you live now with the Stevens. Is all of that correct?"

Tommy just grunted, sliding down in his chair, angry at how the last six years of hell could get summed up so neatly just like that.

Her tone shifted from analytical, to a softer more understanding one. "I'm sorry to have to go through all of that, but I want to get it out of the way. You see your last social worker, Francine Wallis, didn't leave her files in order and some of them are obviously incomplete. So all of her cases are being reviewed by those taking them to make sure that the files are up to date and accurate."

Her explanation eased some of Tommy's anger, enough that he noticed that she hadn't been reading from a file. She had been rattling all that off from memory.

"Now that that's taken care of, down to business." Helena leaned forward so that she was leaning on her arms, now crossed on the desk, clearly giving him her full attention. "I'm sure you realize that our little chat is about more then just getting acquainted and checking on your file."

Tommy didn't say anything. He didn't need to. He knew that there had to be more to it then that, he even had a good idea why, not that he was going to tell her.

"You might give me a yes or a no." Helena's tone ever so slightly teasing, "Or perhaps a grunt?"

He snorted. "Ya."

"So, what's up?" That was all she said, her full attention on him, as she waited for a response.

Tommy's eyes narrowed, and he simply looked back for a good few seconds before he asked back, "What do you mean _what's up_?"

"What is it that's going on with you, and don't pretend to not know what I'm talking about."

She unnerved him. It wasn't how she spoke, how she dressed, her expression or how she looked. It was those mirrored glasses. Facing him like she was he could see two prefect reflections of himself looking right back at him. And he could feel her eyes staring at him from behind the two lenses even if he couldn't see them.

His response sounded harsher then he meant it to. "You'll have to be more specific."

"Alright then," her tone was simply that of resolution. "Your behavior has gotten noticeable worse in the past few months or so."

Tommy snorted. "And here I thought that my behavior has always been bad."

Even as he tried to pass it off sarcastically, her expression, or lack of one, caused him to fidget in his chair and tug at the ends of his sleeves, pulling them down as far as they would go.

"It's true that you have hardly been the model student." He snorted again, but she continued ignoring it. "But this is different. You're lashing out about something, and I want to know what it is."

"You mean I wasn't lashing out before?"

She still wasn't looking at his file, which was closed off to the side of the desk. "There is a difference between disruptive and destructive behavior." Helen's tone shifted slightly, and while still serious managed to take on a hint of humor as she added. "I'll take stink bombs in the girls bathroom over what got you suspended and sent another student to the emergency room to get three stitches any day."

She was getting under his skin. And while the thought of trusting her made him cringe, it was still there and didn't want to go away. In the silence between them he heard a noise that sounded like it was coming from somewhere close, but made no sense. It was metal on metal, like keys jangling or the sound that the tags on a dog collar made.

"What's with the glasses?" Tommy needed to get the attention off of him before she managed to see through him, and that was the first thing that popped into his head as he watched himself grow nervous in those two mirrors.

Helena offered a faint smile. "Most people find my eyes to be a bit unnerving."

Tommy shot her a skeptical look. How could someone's eyes be unnerving?

Reaching up she took off her glasses, folding the earpieces in before setting them down on the table next to the recorder.

Now Tommy understood what she meant. Her eyes were the same golden honey color as her hair. The exact same color. Which was weird in itself, but there was something more to it then that. If he had felt she was looking into him before, it was nothing compared to how it felt now. It was like she could see everything in him, what he was thinking, what he felt, and even strait through him to the back of the damn uncomfortable chair. He shifted, again, pulling at his sleeves, again. And the same metal on metal sound came again, sounding even more like a dog collar this time.

It took him a moment but he managed to get out a few strained words. "I see what you mean."

Despite his obvious discomfort she left the glasses off and spoke softly, all teasing a past lightness gone from her tone. "Your behavior got worse after getting placed with the Stevens. And that kind of change is usually triggered by some kind of traumatic event and, or, abuse." She allowed silence to fill the air between them before gently asking, "Is there anything you want to tell me?"

Tommy swallowed hard. If he had been tempted to talk to her before he felt like she was in his head looking at what she wanted him to talk about now.

He wasn't sure how he got it out but he did, and it didn't even sound convincing to his own ears. "If you know so much, why are you asking?"

She just looked at him for a long moment causing him to fidget in his chair again, and pull at the ends of his sleeves.

"If you want my guess, I would say that there is definitely physical abuse since that was the third time that you've pulled down the sleeves on your shirt. And I would guess that there is also physiological, verbal abuse as well. Miss. Wallis noted in her files that Mr. Stevens had a good strong personality as well as work ethic and sense of discipline and that Mrs. Stevens was a very quiet woman. To anyone looking for them those are all red flags that indicate that he could easily be abusive, and his wife's behavior more or less proves it and that she is another victim. I also would not be surprised in the least if there was alcohol involved." She paused, Tommy was frozen in his seat, not sure if he was breathing. "Am I close?"

She wasn't close. She was dead on. And Tommy didn't move, and couldn't speak.

"I also suspect that the worst of your behavior came after you tried to tell an adult at school, and they didn't believe you."

Tears stung at Tommy's eyes, but fought them. Boys don't cry. But his lower lip quivered slightly in spite of himself.

"Tommy, am I right or wrong?"

The words stuck in his throat, closing it off. All he could do was force a stiff nod.

Helena's expression shifted from a mask of calm to one of sympathy as she leaned further over her desk toward him. "I need you to say yes or not."

He tried to say yes but the whisper was having trouble coming out.

"I'm sorry Tommy, but I need to hear you say it." Her hand reached out toward him, falling on the table not far from the recorder.

Realizing why he needed to say it he swallowed hard and brushed away the tears that had managed to escape. "Yes," it was gargled but understandable. "He hits me and yells at me when I do something wrong. And" he sniffled, "and he does it when he drinks, which is a lot of nights and every weekend."

"That was very good Tommy," Helena looked as though she was going to say something else, but didn't get the chance.

"Ella, what did you do this time?" A strong female voice interrupted, as the steady click of heals on the tile floor approached them. Upon seeing Tommy her tone and expression switched to something a bit more professional, but still put out. "There is a rather irate Mr. Stevens here to see you."

Tommy stiffened.

"It's alright," Helena reassured him as she reached out and turned off the recorder. "He can't hurt you now. I had to tell him about our meeting but I delayed doing so until the last minute to make sure he couldn't do or say anything before we could talk." Addressing the older woman, "Vicky, could you take some pictures for visual documentation for me? I believe there are some bruises on Tommy's arms. I'll go deal with Mr. Stevens."

Vicky looked at Helena skeptically before offering a reluctant reply, "Fine."

Helena smiled, "Thank you." Then said, "Eddie, up" as she stood.

Tommy was confused and again heard that metal on metal sound. That confusion turned to surprise as she stepped around her desk.

His expression and tone disbelieving, "your blind."

Helena smiled and chuckled. "I get that a lot."

"But," he trailed off trying to think of what had made him so sure that she had to be able to see. "But you knew I was tugging at my sleeves."

"An educated guess. I could hear you fidgeting a lot, and the sound of you tugging at your sleeves was different and each time it was repeated twice."

Tommy was still dumbstruck.

Helena moved towards the entrance area and the waiting Mr. Stevens.

Vicky called after her, "What about your glasses?" She was already reaching for them where they lay on the desk.

Helena didn't stop, only replying over her shoulder. "I think I'll leave them off for this introduction."


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Babblings: I am most sorry for the delay. I am a college student who is actually settling into a semester abroad. There were passport and visa issues as well as packing and all of the other things and lose ends that had to be tied up before I could even get on my flight; and quite a few more waiting for me as soon as I got off the plane. Including a very consistent Internet connection, as in it's consistently not working that is. I can't make promises about the chapter updates for the next few months, but I WILL get back to this.

Chapter 7

As Helena entered the waiting area she slowed to a stop with Eddie, and instinctively knew that there were two people sitting in chairs there. One was flipping through a magazine the other was tapping their foot impatiently. She could guess just who was tapping their foot.

"Mr. Richard Stevens?" She called out in a clear tone. "I'm Helena Travers, you wanted to see me?"

The tapping stopped and the chair groaned as he stood up. He was a large man, over six feet five inches, 200 plus pounds and built like a wall.

"A blind woman." His tone was disbelieving and critical. "You've got to be kiddin' me."

His red hair was shaggy, and in need of a cutting. His clothing consisted of a standard work ensemble including jeans, boots, a t-shirt as well as a flannel long sleeve shirt hanging open over that. All of it looked worn, speaking of an occupation involving physical labor. Patches and mended sections spook to a lack of money as well as someone who took the care and time to do them and well enough that they weren't obvious.

Moving toward her he stopped a few feet away. "What, do they have their heads up their asses? How the hell can someone be in social work if you can't see?" He shoved one of his hands in front of her face waving it about to make his point.

Helena's tone was cool and calm. "No they do not, and I can do my job because I can still get most of the information I need using my other sense. And I would appreciate it if you would get your hand out of my face."

While he looked taken back, it was not enough to put a halt to his anger. "I want to know what this is about! Tommy's underage and as his foster father I have the right to know when you're goin' to talk to him."

"I did notify you."

"Yah, an hour ago!" His voice was getting progressively louder as he went. "And I should have been there. It's the law!"

Helena stood her ground calmly. " Not if I suspect abuse."

"Abuse?" He looked insulted. "Who told you that? Tommy? Because if he did and you believed him then you stupid as well as blind. The kid is a delinquent and only an idiot would believe him."

Un-phased by Mr. Stevens, who had taken a step closer to her, Helena's voice was still calm. "He didn't have to say anything. His file speaks for its self to anyone who's listening, as do the marks on his arms."

His tone now sarcastic, he asked, "What you _saw_ bruises did you?"

"I don't have to see something to know that its there. Besides, a colleague is taking photographs of them as we speak. That should be enough to have Tommy moved, and you investigated before getting any more children placed in your care. And I'm quite certain that investigation will determine that you're an abusive alcoholic."

That fueled his anger, he had trouble spitting out, "Alcoholic?"

Helena, still calm, had no qualm about elaborating, and even allowed her distaste and sarcasm to color her voice for the first time. "Yes, or is there another term you would use to describe someone who shows up to a public office at eleven thirty in the morning smelling of liquor?" She leaned towards him and gave an exaggerated sniff. "Cheap Whisky? Hardly the stuff of connoisseurs. No, that's for those who have no taste, no money, and don't care so long as its alcohol. In short, an alcoholic."

Mr. Stevens saw red. He raised his hand as he took a step toward her. Eddie, who had inched himself between them, stood and let out a low growl.

Neither got the chance to do what they planned to. Before he could start to swing his arm forward it was grabbed from behind. His assailant twisted it around up behind his back and knocked his feet from beneath him, sending him face first to the tile floor. As soon as he hit it the woman who had put him there was on him, pressing her knee into his lower back as she cuffed the hand she had. Without giving him time to recover she grabbed for the other.

"Excellent timing Becs." Helena commented, still calm in spite of almost getting struck.

Shooting her a glare, Rebecca's attention remained focused on grappling with the other arm to cuff it as well. "I should have known."

She didn't get the chance to say more because Mr. Stevens had come to his sense enough to start fighting back.

"What the, Get the HELL off me!" He nearly knocked Rebecca off of him, since she was about two-thirds his size. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

Slamming her knee into his kidney, she got him to yelp but stay still long enough for her to cuff the other hand. "I'm the cop who just saved your sorry drunk ass!" Her voice was biting as she shoved her badge in his face.

"Saved?" He bellowed.

"Ya," she yelled right back. "Attempted assault of a blind woman sounds bad enough. Just how do you think it'd sound if you had actually hit her?"

"She, she provoked me!"

"By calling you an abusive drunk, I'm sure everyone over at the precinct will agree that was the _logical_ response." She dug her knee into his lower back again to keep him on the floor.

The doors to the elevator just off the reception area dinged and slid open. Out rushed a short, heavyset woman with shoulder length darkly dyed hair, who looked to be in her mid twenties. Fashionably dressed, she displayed her curves, and looked plump rather then overweight. She hardly looked up while rummaging around in her massive bag as she walked in.

"I am _sooo_ sorry I'm late." Retrieving what she was looking for she halted, not far from the others, and looked up as she asked, "What'd I miss?"

Behind her, two security guards had entered slowly, but upon seeing the situation they picked up the pace. Moving around the new comer they promptly went to Rebecca who started filling them in.

Helena simply smiled, and faced the other woman. "No Sarah, you're right on time." Addressing both women, "I'll go have a quick word with my supervisor before we go off to Harry's for lunch, because we might be joined a guest."

With that, Helena headed back towards into the office. Becs, who had been paying attention, even as she spook with the guards, rolled her eyes. Sarah, having trouble following two things at once, particularly since she was not well versed in cop jargon, was still rather confused.


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Babblings: This week's double feature is brought to you by… BOREDOM! As I have had painfully limited access to the Internet for about a week and a half, all the entertainment of a small town (and no car), as well as classes that are just now getting into full swing. So I've had some free time, I just hope that I still have some in the coming weeks.

Chapter 8

"You're impossible." Was the first thing Rebecca said to Helena when they were seated at the small family owned restaurant. "You are impossible and I should have known the second you said to pick you up at work that you were up to something."

Helena smiled as she sat, Eddie taking his position lying down just to her right-hand side. "Yet you didn't, and you came, and you were there early, as usual."

Their server quickly placed two waters on the table, and a menu in front of Becs, passing over Helena as she moved to the next table where Sarah and Tommy were seated. Helena had wanted to give them space but had needed to be nearby. Harry, the owner, had welcomed each of the women by name and had no trouble accommodating this by seating them at two tables for two on the far wall of the restaurant.

Becs gave the menu a half-hearted glance before taking a serious tone with Helena. "You know one of these days someone is going to actually hit you if you keep this up."

"Then so be it," Helena replied very matter of fact.

Becs gave her an exasperated, "Ella," meant as the start of a reprimand.

"The one who does will get actually jail time rather then just cooling his heals. Because, as you pointed out to Mr. Stevens, even if there is proof that I provoked them, it still sounds bad when you add the blind, female, social worker bit to the assault charge. So unless I was screaming profanities at them or saying awful things about their mother, heck, probably even if I was, no one would want the kind of press that would come with letting my attacker off the hook. Besides," her tone taking on a touch of amusement, "it's not like they would really get to beat me too badly, because Eddie would probably attack them before they got the chance."

"Don't even joke," Becs told her over a sip of water. "Eddie may be a Seeing Eye dog, but if he does too much damage, I'm not sure if that will be enough to get _him_ off the hook."

Helena reached for her own glass, sliding a finger down the inside of the rim to gauge how full it was before lifting it to take a sip. The waitress stopped at their table to get their orders. Becs wanted the soup of the day with her usual roast beef sandwich while Helena got the soup and a chicken salad.

A few moments passed after the waitress departed before the corner of Becs' mouth curved upward into a lopsided smirk. "So just how much convincing did it take to get your supervisor to say yes to taking Tommy out to lunch?"

"Not all that much," Helena gave her small knowing smile.

One of Becs' eyebrows shot up. "So just how did that conversation go?"

"The first thing out of her mouth was 'what am I going to do with you?'"

"I wonder that all the time," Becs muttered.

"I did offer a suggestion."

"What?"

Helena's smile grew wider. "A raise."

Becs let out a snort and didn't bother replying.

Continuing, Helena's smile faded just a bit. "She, of course, said no, since we're lucky that we still have power with all of the budget cuts. She threatened to fire me to save on court related costs and aspirin."

Becs chuckled at that.

"I chose then to remind her that it would take at least two people to replace me and that they probably wouldn't handle things as well as I could. I was able to sort through Miss. Wallis' files in all of a week, and take care of her most difficult case before lunch. Also, any court related losses would be well worth it since it would help keep men like Mr. Stevens away from children. All she did was sigh." Helena rolled her shoulders and let out a sigh herself. "When I suggested Tommy join me for lunch to get to meet Sarah, who is looking to take on another kid, she didn't even bother to argue. She just told me that she trusted my judgment."

Laughing, Becs just shook her head before reaching for her drink again.

"So, does it look like they're getting along alright?" Helena asked casually.

Knowing whom she meant, Becs leaned to the side to see around her to the table just beyond their own. "She's chatting away. He looks nervous or scared, probably a bit of both."

Helena replied with casual certainty, "He's afraid that it's too good to be true, and that he will wake up to find this was all a dream. Or do anything to mess it up."

"That fits." Becs trained her appraising eyes on the woman across from her. "One of these days you'll have to tell me your secret."

Helena smiled sweetly at the long-standing joke between them. "There is no secret, I can just tell these things about people."

Becs gave her usual sarcastic, "Sure."

The waitresses' timing was excellent. Giving them their bowls of soup, as well as sandwich and salad, she refilled their waters before moving on to her next table. She didn't bother asking if they wanted anything else, she already knew from experience that they wouldn't.

Helena reached for her soup, testing the temperature before turning to her salad while it cooled. Becs hadn't bothered and took a massive bit out of her sandwich.

After taking a few more bits Becs asked around a mouth full of sandwich, "so what can you 'just tell' about this Damek character?"

Helena took another bit of her salad, which she swallowed before she responded. "A fair amount I suppose, but I don't know, its like I can tell that there is so much more."

"Now there's a first," Becs washed down her last bit of sandwich with some water. "So just was can you tell, because the description the beat cops gave me wasn't much and what they did give didn't sit well with me."

"He hardly speaks with an accent but his mannerisms and such gave him away. He's originally from South Eastern Europe, although he didn't indicate where." Helena picked at her salad, her expression distant. "He has money, I have no doubt of that. He doesn't like the city but is here because of something specific, something that's very important to him. Yet, he has no qualms about taking the time to sit and talk with me in the park, or walk me home. He comes across as laidback, but he is definitely an Alpha male. And while you _will_ take this the wrong way Becs, the only way I can describe how he moves and reacts is as a predator."

"Yah," Becs' tone left no doubt about her opinion. "So there's a _right_ way to take that one?"

Letting out a sigh Helena poked at a piece of chicken. "It's the only thing I can think of that fits. When he moves he hardly makes a sound. He's aware of everything that's going on around him. And he just has this… presence, and way about him, that reminds me of a cat walking amongst pigeons: not concerned, but aware of what's going on, even when it isn't looking to hunt."

In a flat tone Becs informed her friend, "That just makes me feel so much better about you spending time with him. Alone. In the Park. At night."

Helena heaved a sigh of exasperation. "If I could think of a better way of describing him I would, it's just that predator fits. If I thought that he was a threat to me personally I would not have gone back to that part of the park for a while. And besides, if he had wanted to hurt me he already would have: he's had plenty of opportunity to do so."

Becs didn't try to argue with that, but let her silence speak her continued displeasure at the situation before adding, "Is there anything else?"

Helena shook her head, but not to mean that the answer was no. Taking another half-hearted stab at a piece of chicken she slowly answered the question. "Yes and no. It's like what I said before about getting the feeling that there's more to him then meets the eye, so to speak. It's just a sense, that there is something else, something more beneath the surface." Her expression was distant, as she lowered her fork, no longer aware of, or concerned with, her food. "Like there is a darkness in him. It's buried deep, but always there. He isn't bad, but it is, this insidious thing, that won't just go away, that he can't get rid of. Slowly creeping in, eating away at him from the inside. The sort of thing, that if left as it is, can, and will, bring even the greatest and strongest of men to their knees. Changing them, turning them from everything that they are into everything that they despise."

By this point Rebecca had stopped eating as well.

Something snapped Helena back to the present. She shook her head as if to try and get rid of some unwanted thoughts. Making a hasty attempt at her piece of chicken she missed, knocking it off the plate. Before rushing again she took a deep breath. Feeling around on the tablecloth she located the lost chicken piece before slowly and deliberately stabbing it with her fork.

Becs watched her friend's unusual display, as Helena typically had more grace and precision than most sighted people she knew. There was a long silence as she thought over what words to say. In the end she chose her usual, direct route. "I guess that settles that. You're not going to see _him_ any more."

"Really?" Helena took a similar tone. "And why is that?"

Rebecca leaned to the side, "Yo, Sarah. I've got a quick question."

Sarah and Tommy stopped talking and she turned around so that she could see the other table. "What?"

"Ella here just described to me the guy who she's been talking with in the park as a predator who has an evil darkness in him. Now, do you think she should meet with him again?"

One of Sarah's perfectly shaped eyebrows went up, "There's a question about that?"

Helena let out a sigh of frustration, and put her back to the wall so that even though she was not facing anyone they could all hear her clearly. "I didn't say that he was evil, only that he's struggling with something that could be described as evil. And predator… when he moves he hardly makes a sound. He's aware of everything that's going on around him. And… he just as this presence, a feeling of power, like a man who's in control and isn't in the least bit concerned that anyone could take that away from him."

Sarah let out a laugh; "Well, the control bit sounds about right for most men, at least the part where he thinks it can't get taken away." She shot the other two a little smirk.

Becs rolled her eyes, "Fine, but it's the evil darkness bit that has me concerned."

Helena's brow furrowed as she tried to find the right words. "Evil is a bit strong, but that's more of how he looks at it." She paused for a moment, "Look, it's hard to explain and the only example that I can think of is addiction. Like if someone knows that they have an addictive personality, it's always there in the back of their mind, and every time they walk by temptation it rears it's ugly head. Now try and think of having to work around a bar, or a casino, or something like that. The temptation would be there all the time, eating away at their resolve, constantly testing them. Now, while what they're addicted to isn't evil, what the addiction does to their lives, for all intents and purposes, is. And that's all separate from the person, who could be anything from a saint to your everyday Joe."

A silence fell on the group, each in their own thoughts. Tommy was overwhelmed by the whole day, and the conversation was just the icing on the cake. Helena was trying to understand just what it was about this man that just wouldn't let her mind go. Becs was far from convinced that there was any good reason for this Damek character to be around her friend at all.

Sarah took a mental step back, reaching for logic to help guide her. "When did you first meet?"

"Two nights ago."

"And how much time have you spent with him?"

"Hmmm, I would say somewhere between thirty and forty five minutes."

"How's Eddie towards him?"

"At first he didn't like him at all. Now he's just wary."

Sarah aimed her next question at Becs, "Is he hot?"

Rebecca shook her head and rolled her eyes at the oh-so-typical Sarah question. "I doubt he's your type even if he is loaded. And since I haven't met the man yet I don't know. I got a description and he sounds decent, at the least: on the tall side, trim, broad shoulders, narrow hips, sharp features, dark hair. Of course I've never been a fan of long hair on men."

"Alright, so he's loaded and attractive. Got it. And Becs, it's not like you've ever had any taste when it comes to men any way." To Helena, "Now, what's his name?"

"Damek, I don't know his last name."

"What does he do?"

"I don't know that either."

Becs cut in with sarcasm so thick that it couldn't even drip from her voice. "Now that doesn't sound suspicious. No last name. No known occupation."

Helena's tone was sharp as she stopped her friend. "It's not like I asked."

Sarah chewed over a thought as she munched on a bit of her sandwich. "So, what tells you that he has money?"

"His clothing," Helena's voice returned to its usual even calm. "From the way it sounds I would say his shirts were made of very nice silk, his slacks from high end suiting material, and both were tailored to fit perfectly. His shoes also had a soft soul on them that I've only ever heard in shoes that were custom made. Thus, he has money." Letting out a deep breath she spoke to both women at once. "Look, we need to get back to our food, because last time I checked we all have places we need to be rather soon. I will ask him more personal questions tonight, and barring some sort of emergency, Becs will get to meet him. Sarah, I'll call you tomorrow because there are some matters that we need to discuss, and fill you in while I'm at it. Now everyone, eat!"

Sarah and Helena turned back around in their sets.

Rebecca took a healthy bit of her sandwich but felt the need to add one last thing. "You know this isn't the end of this discussion, right?"

"I know," Helena had a spoonful of her soup. "But it is the end for now because we all have things waiting for us when we get back."


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Babblings: Well, I've got a reliable Internet connection, now I just need to get a social life. But on a slightly different note, while most of the people looking at my writing are from the US it is rather fitting that the country that's number 2 is the UK as that is where I'm spending my semester abroad (Although so far this month the UK is lagging a bit). Back to what you actually came here for…

Chapter 9

When Damek awoke a sense of anticipation swept through his being. But even as he rose from his lair to head into the city another feeling, one of unease, began to enter his being.

Something was off.

Keeping his senses on full alert he flew through the gathering night toward the city, as he had planned. Not knowing what it was yet did not concern him, for he knew that it would not remain hidden from him for long.

Tolerating the few remaining rays of sunlight Damek chose to head directly to Central Park rather then stop and feed before meeting with Helena. It seemed to him the proper thing to do, even though he did not know precisely why. Once within the shadows of the city's many tall buildings he found an ally to land in different from the one he had used the night before. As he had the night before he chose attire that both suited him and did not cause him to stand out. This time he chose black for the trousers and made the shirt such a dark shade of purple that it would appear black unless caught in just the right light.

Stepping out from the ally he walked a block before reaching the park, all the while scanning his surroundings. Once inside he followed the paths, knowing exactly how to get to the bench that he sought. She was in the park, but would not reach their mutual destination until after him.

Taking a seat he monitored her approach as he felt the night. The sense of something being wrong was still there, but so subtle that he was having difficulty picking it up at all. His search for the source was halted when she came around a bend in the path and into view.

"A beautiful night, is it not?" His voice of dark velvet drifted through the air to her ears causing her to smile just a little.

"Yes, I suppose it is." When Helena reached the bench she sat beside him and let go of Eddie's leash. "Eddie, play time."

With that the dog gave Damek a quick sniff before trotting off, in search of something to chase.

Taking a deep breath Helena let out a long sigh before leaning back into the bench to let herself relax.

Damek turned slightly to face her. "That tough a day?"

Helena gave a small laugh. "Yes and no. It was a good day but a long one since I had extra paper work to fill out."

"What sort of paperwork?"

Turning herself a little so that she was speaking toward him she answered his question. "I'm a social worker for the city of New York. And today, in addition to the usual paperwork that accompanies taking on a new case, I had to petition for his immediate removal from his current foster home. His foster father was abusive."

A part of Damek grew still before anger entered. "This man struck his child?"

"His foster child," Helena corrected. "But yes, he has been beating him for the past several months. And I would wager that he has been physically abusing his wife for far longer. I was only able to step in today because his case just became mine. His old social worker left not two weeks ago."

Anger at the thought of a man abusing a child and his wife hummed through Damek's veins.

Lost in thoughts of what had happened after lunch Helena continued, not yet aware of her companion's growing rage. "Any way, the boy has been moved into a group home for the time being. Since I hate putting children in such places for long I expedited the paperwork to have him placed with a woman I know who should be a good match for him. I also petitioned for a formal investigation of the foster family before any more children be placed with them. At least no more children will be allowed near him. I passed the wife's name along to a representative for a battered woman's home. But there is little else I can do for her, although the police report I filled out after work should at least help to keep him away from her for a little while."

"Police report?" Damek's voice was quiet, deathly so.

Helena simply shrugged his tone off. "He tried to take a swing at me. Becs was there so he didn't get the chance to make actual contact."

Damek's rage came to a near boil. "He attempted to strike you after beating a child and his own wife?"

Realizing just how angry Damek had become Helena sat up and faced him, changing her tone in an attempt to sooth him. "I knew my friend was there, so there was little danger of him actually getting to hit me. He is currently spending the night in jail. And even though it was only attempted assault, given that I am a blind woman and a social worker, as well as the investigation into possible child abuse, he will get a harsher punishment then he would have under most other circumstances. Not to mention that his name will be removed from the foster home list permanently. He will not get the chance to hit another child."

While her words did little to lessen his anger, the subtle compulsion in her voice did. Even as he was aware of what she was doing, he could feel his blood lessen to a low simmer from its previous boil. Looking at her he could not help but feel a growing sense of admiration.

"You are an incredible person." The words left his lips of their own accord.

She was taken off guard, and left searching for a response.

"Do you mind me asking how you lost your eyesight?"

"No," She shrugged, still a little off balance after his last comment. "I was born like this, well, at least that's what the doctors think. It wasn't obvious that there was something wrong with my eyesight until I was a toddler. Although my eyes have always looked… different, since the day I was born."

"Different how?" Damek gazed appraisingly at her mirrored glasses.

Helena smiled and shook her head. "I'm hardly the person to ask. But everyone seems to agree that they're not normal."

"Is that why you wear the glasses, because people find them strange?" Damek's curiosity was getting the better of him, his hands itching to take the glasses off and have a look for himself.

"Sort of, most people find my eyes… unsettling. I've noticed that things tend to go better when I wear dark or mirrored glasses."

There was no judgment or hurt in her voice, it was a simple matter of life for her.

"May I?" Damek asked, his hands moving upward. When her brow furrowed slightly he quickly added, "look for myself, that is."

"Oh, sure." She reached up, removing the glasses herself.

Damek found her eyes fascinating, although he could understand how the average mortal could find them disturbing. He instinctively knew that their color was the same shade of honey blond as her hair. And while he could not determine just what it was, there was something different about them, something that caused them to appear to be looking into you.

"Now its your turn to answer a question."

He mentally withdrew, knowing how simple questions could threaten his people. But there was something in her smile that eased his wariness, just a little. "What is the question?"

"Well, since I just told you that I'm a social worker, I was wondering what you did for a living."

It was a simple enough question, and hardly one that he had not had to answer before. "I am an entrepreneur and business man. I own a couple of companies and have investments in some others, mostly communications, a little in shipping." It was his standard response, decidedly vague since it was hardly advisable to go around telling people that he was an international communications mogul with millions of dollars in assets all over the globe.

Her lips curled into a small smile as she let out a soft chuckle. "I take it that's your way of not coming right out and saying that your worth millions."

Damek was not as surprised as he normally would have been, but controlled the response nonetheless. "Millions? I am?"

Helena let out a full laugh. "Last time I checked only those with a lot of money get all their clothing made from very high quality fabrics, all tailored to fit, and have shoes custom made for them."

"Interesting," Damek's voice remained bland as his opinion of her continued to grow just a bit more. "No one else has ever come to such a conclusion."

"Everyone else relies too much on what they see and even that they take for granted, never really looking at what's in front of them." Helena relaxed back onto the bench.

Damek could not help but agree with her, although few before her had been given the chance to observe him at all, let alone as closely.

Her cell phone emitted the same melodic sequence s the evening before.

Swiftly answering it she greeted the caller by name. "Hi Becs. What's up?"

There was a lengthy pause as she listened to what her friend had to say before turning toward Damek and telling him, "It seems that I have a bit of a problem."

Damek, who had heard what her friend 'Becs' had said, taking a guess at what had not been said, could not help but agree.


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Babblings: Hello again my loyal reader. Sorry about the delay, but I've been rather busy lately. It will probably be a little while before my next post. But that post will come, I promise.

Chapter 10

Helena let the phone drop away from her head just a bit so that she was speaking to Damek. "How do you think you'd do in a fight with a man who's 6 foot 5, 219, and build like a line backer?"

While the last bit was lost on him Damek did understand the basic question.

As if sensing his confusion Helena added, "He's basically got a large muscular frame, and is more or less a brick wall."

That he understood, although the answer was the same regardless of the man's physical stature.

Before he had the chance to respond to the question the other end of the phone call cut in. "Who are you talking to?"

Helena already knew where this conversation was going. "Damek."

There was a long pause before Rebecca spoke in a very controlled and lethally calm voice. "I'm picking you up, now."

The phone call went dead.

Helena closed her phone before carefully put it away, all the while taking deep, long, and very deliberate breathes, betraying her nerves.

Damek's voice was melodic and low as he told her, "Have no fear, I will not allow him, or any other, to harm you so long as I am near." He silently amended that to ever, although that would take further arranging.

Helena offered him a weak smile. "Thank you, but I would honestly prefer not to drag someone else into my problems."

"Do not worry your self. I would insist on aiding you, for someone like you should not have to live in fear of getting attacked, regardless of any sort of confrontational attitude." He offered the last part as a gentle teasing, hoping to help her feel more at ease.

"Someone like me," she repeated his words. "A blind person? Or a woman?"

"Either." Damek tried to read her emotions to sense what this reaction was, but found them more blocked then ever before.

Helena let out a sigh and readied her bag before finally saying any more. "Why is it that those who would commend my abilities to observe and understand people seem to forget that at a moments notice?"

Damek's brow furrowed.

Before he could think of a response she continued. "Becs loves to point out that my blindness is a great disadvantage, to everyone else. Knowing I'm blind gets people to expect less from me, so they are taken even more off guard when I prove otherwise. Yet she doesn't like me walking by myself in the city, even in well-traveled areas. And, in cases like tonight, she doesn't trust my judgment, or my ability to make it to my building myself."

"I do not think it is a matter of trust, merely a wish to protect one who is a dear friend." Damek could not understand what she was upset about, although the others had warned him that women in this day and age did not react well to being protected.

Helena gave a sigh. "I know, but it feels different, a bit too protective for it to be just that. I have spent my life working to prove that I am just as capable as anyone who can see, but everything seems to come back to that one thing."

Damek remained quiet for a moment. "There is not doubt that you are every bit as capable as any other person, but the fact that you are blind is as much a part of who you are as the color of your hair."

He could tell that she was getting frustrated. "How long until your friend arrives?"

"She should be arriving any minute." Helena turned toward the woods, "Eddie, come. Work time."

Eddie stopped and jogged back to the bench, seating himself just in front of Helena where she could easily grab hold of his leash.

As Helena rose, so did Damek, he had no intention of letting her walk anywhere by herself. They turned in the direction that they had left the previous nights and started walking. He could not read her emotions clearly, but she was upset.

It was she who broke the silence. "You do have a last name and an address, right?"

Keeping his tone and expression blank Damek responded, "Of course."

When he didn't say any more a slight smile tugged at her lips. "Would you mind telling me what they are?"

"Alright," Damek let out a sigh. "My last name is Anghelescu."

He was saved from having to come up with some explanation of his residence for they had arrived at their exit from the park. And waiting for them was a very ticked off woman staring at them, arms crossed and foot tapping.

She gave Damek a very thorough once over, her expression a clear indicator of her growing displeasure. "Ella, you and I need to have a nice long talk after you get inside a good secure building."

Damek could read the woman's thoughts well enough to know that she was a good person, strong, determined, had a very concrete sense of rather and wrong, and a fierce loyalty to her friends. That loyalty to her friends was why she instantly distrusted him and wanted him as far away from Helena as she could get him.

"Becs," Helena started to warn her friend, but that was all she had the chance to say.

"Oh, no you don't. You do _**not**_get to 'Becs' me right now."

Helena's anger started to rise too, "And why is that? I am allowed to live my own life and make my own choices. You of all people should understand that."

Damek could instantly sense a diffusion of the other woman's anger. Helena's words held some sort of power, but he could only guess at what.

Rebecca's cell phone went off. She let out a grunt of frustration before making any moves to answer it. But she did pick it up before it could ring a third time.

"What?" Venting a bit for frustration at the person on the other end of the line.

Damek could tell it was a male, and about her work as a detective, but he paid it little mind.

Rebecca closed her eyes and worked her jaw as she listened, but didn't say any thing for a several seconds after he partner finished telling her about the new case they were needed on.

Helena didn't have to hear to have a sense of what the conversation was about. "Go. You know I'm in one piece right now, and I'll be home in a couple of minutes."

Rebecca seemed to be going back and forth, but a last comment from her partner got her to respond to him. "Fine. I'll be there." She hung up and turned to Damek, her tone serious. "If so much as a hair on her head is damaged I blame you, and I swear I will hunt you down."

With that she turned and left.

Helena and Damek stood there for a moment in silence after the abrupt departure.

Helena quietly said, "I'm sorry about that."

"You need not be." He laid a hand on her shoulder giving her a gentle nudge as he took a step forward. "She only said that because she cares about you."

Helena followed his lead and together they started walking toward her building.

Little else was said before they arrived at her building. Upon wishing each other a good night they went their separate ways; Helena up to her apartment, and Damek back to his search.


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Babblings: I could use some ideas/suggestions on possible anglicized/simplified versions of Anghelescu, please? It will make sense in a chapter or two, I just feel that using its meaning, Angel, would be… well, it doesn't feel right to me and I find that consulting someone with a different perspective can be helpful when it comes to solving a problem I'm having trouble with.

Chapter 11

Becs rubbed her eyes as she waited for the pot of coffee to finish brewing. It had been a late night, which had ensured an early morning. And as lousy as cop shop coffee was she needed it, and bad.

As she finished adding what was necessary to make her cup tolerable a snarky remark came from right behind her.

"Want some coffee with that sugar Beckerson?"

It was a beat cop she was pretty sure was named Murphy. Any other day she would have responded with some crack about whether his coffee was as Irish as he was. Today she settled for a glare before heading back to her desk. Once she was situated in front of her computer again, she took a sip of the steaming liquid. The taste made her grimace, but it was tolerable.

Flipping through her notepad she got back to typing up information and filling out forms. This case was a headache on a good day. Scumbag found dead in alley under suspicious circumstances. The cause of death, while clear, also needed confirmation because it didn't make sense. His throat was slit, and he bled out pretty much all the blood in his body. The issue was there was almost no blood left at the scene. And given that it was an alley, well that added mounds of possible evidence to go through, but no way of knowing what was important. The best part was that even though it was a scumbag who got killed, he was the sort that never did jail time, and wore $300 suits. All of that added up to a pain in the neck, with the pressure to figure it out quickly adding a pain in the ass too.

Leaning back in her chair she rubbed her eyes and tried to stifle a yawn. All she ended up with though was her eyes watering so badly that her notes went blurry. Cracking her neck she downed some more of the rancid sludge trying to pass as coffee and attempted to pull some magic rabbit of a clue out of her fuzzy brain.

It wasn't like what those crime shows made it out to be. She nearly started chuckling as the thought of that reminded her of a conversation that she and Kevin, her partner, had had earlier that morning, very early that morning.

"Honestly, aside from the zippy one liners I really don't understand the appeal, and even those aren't always very good."

Kevin's drawl voice cut in, "or in good taste."

She shook her head and took another look around the alley. "You got that straight, although I do have to admit that they occasionally hit on a piece of gold."

Kevin let out a low chuckle, giving her one of his trademark lopsided grins while rubbed his hands together to warm them up a bit. "Sure, and even a broken clock is right twice a day."

The voice of one of the young techs working the crime scene chirped in from below them where he was kneeling. "How? A broken clock doesn't show any time, by definition the screen would be blank."

Rebecca and Kevin exchanged a look over the kid's head.

She responded first, her sarcasm blunt. "We're talking about the kind that has hands and a face."

Glancing up the tech shot them both a confused look.

Rolling her eyes Rebecca muttered under her breath. "You've got to be kiddin' me."

Kevin shook his head. "I never thought I would say this, and I'm sure my grandpa is up there laughing his head off, or doing cartwheels in his grave. But man, kids these days!"

The conversation got picked back up on the way to the precinct, between the two of them, although just why escaped Rebecca's memory even though it had hardly been six hours.

She gave him a little smile before putting in another two cents. "I will admit to watching some, and I certainly wouldn't mid if our techs looked like theirs. Or their boss… I could get used to the idea of working under him."

Kevin shot her a quick, questioning look before turning his eyes back to the road. "Working under him, huh? Which kind of work are we talking about, the kind that involves being out hitting the streets, or the kind that involves being in hitting the sheets?"

"Either."

If they had been walking she knew that one would have stopped him in his tracks.

"Wow," even in the dark from the passenger seat she could see that his eyebrows had nearly hit his hairline. "And here I never would have pegged you for having some sort of daddy complex."

"Hay, older guys can be attractive too you know." Becs had always had fun yanking his chain and was playing this up because she knew that she probably wouldn't get another chance until after the case had been solved. "Besides, there's more then just looks to consider, he's smart and a kick ass cop, not to mention that he's got that whole brooding stoic thing down to an art."

"And here I thought you had only watched _some_, as in the occasional bit or episode."

Without missing a beat she shot back, "Yah, and all it takes is catching the right bit or episode to figure that out."

"Becs."

Rebecca jerked up right in her chair, realizing that she had just totally zoned out while staring at her computer screen. Turing around she spotted the source of the call, even though she already knew from the voice. Her partner Kevin was walking toward her with a file in his hands and grin on his face. He had a lead.

Following his progress she waited until he was near her desk to ask the obvious, "So, what've you got?"

He seated himself on the corner of her desk, but didn't move to hand her the folder. "A possible suspect."

His smug little smile got her eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Alright, who is he and why aren't we leaving to pick him up?"

"Don't know who or where he is."

Rebecca gave him a look that said far more then words ever could.

"But don't get you panties in a bunch just yet."

"Well if you don't know who he is then how do we knew that he's a suspect?"

"You know my friend Dave, the one who works with the city surveillance system?"

She nodded.

"He did a little digging for me through what video we've got from the area last night. The only thing he could get was some footage of a guy in the very corner of a screen going into the alley sometime shortly before time of death. It doesn't show his face, and we couldn't get any footage of him leaving, but after back tracking a couple of cameras we got this."

Kevin triumphantly laid the folder on the desk.

Flipping it open Rebecca found a good clear 6 by 10 of a man including a full view of his face.

Kevin continued on with his little moment. "It's not much, no name or motive, but it's the first real break we've had so far."

It wasn't until he finished that he finally looked down and saw how Rebecca's expression had turned to stone and fair bit of the color had drained from her face. "Becs?"

"Damek." She didn't look up at him; she didn't even take her eyes off the photo. "His first name is Damek. I don't know much else, and nothing useful, but I know someone who does." She finally looked up at Kevin. "This is the guy Helena has been talking to in the park."

Kevin's face drained as well. Rebecca had been telling him about how the guy had set off the hairs on the back of her neck like nothing else ever had. And he had been working with her long enough to know that her gut instincts were almost always dead on.

Grabbing the folder Kevin stood up. "I'll go give the little update about what we have, you give her a call."

She nodded, and reached for the phone before he even started walking.

Kevin got back to her desk a few minutes later just in time to hear Rebecca's angry voice cut through the sounds of the bullpen.

"No it's not alright, because she would never do that."

She slammed the phone down on to its receiver. When she glanced over at him, Kevin knew something was very wrong.

Before he could ask, she told him. "She hasn't been in to her office this morning, and didn't call in sick or with an appointment. She isn't picking up her cell. And her home phone rang 'til the answering machine picked it up."

Before Kevin could think of anything to say she was on her feet, putting on her jacket.

"I'm going to her place to start looking for her." Which was the first thing the DA heard as he approached the pair.

"And what exactly is purpose of that?"

Between his suit, the snobbish sound of his voice and the obvious distain in his expression Rebecca could already feel the urge to slug him start to form.

"I'm waiting he hear some sort of reasonable answer Detective Beckerson."

Not punching him was going to be hard. "Look, Helena is never even late to work without calling. She never leaves her apartment without her cell phone, and if she were home she would pick up."

"I fail to see how this affects the case you should be working on, and she's not missing until after 24 hours."

"Yes she is," Rebecca tried to control her temper but was fighting a losing battle. "You don't know her. Routine is everything to her, and if she were at home and unable to answer Eddie would do it for her." She preemptively answered his question, "Eddie is her dog. If something were seriously wrong he would knock the phone of the hook."

"Does super dog know any other neat tricks?"

"Seeing eye dogs tend to know more tricks then most." That got him to be quiet long enough for her to take a deep breath before finishing her bit. "She not only knows the man in the photo we want to talk to, he was the last person I saw her with last night. So yes, it does pertain to the case, and since it's the only lead we have right now it would irresponsible for Kevin and me not to do what is necessary to follow it."

Within five minutes Rebecca and Kevin were in their car headed to Helena's apartment building, her stomach sinking the whole way.


	12. Chapter 12

Author's Babblings: Now it gets interesting. And since I'll be trying to update more often so as not to leave you all hanging in suspense, please forgive any massive errors in grammar or really bad typos.

Chapter 12

As Helena came back to her senses the first thing that registered was the pain. Everything hurt, especially her head.

The next thing that she recognized was the taste of blood in her mouth, nearly making her gag.

After that, everything else rushed in, like getting doused with a bucket of cold water.

Squirming she confirmed that her hands were tied behind her back and her ankles bound together as well and that she was lying on something cold, hard and made of metal. Part of the reason for her gagging was because they had put duct tape over her mouth. And if she hadn't been shaking from fear she might have laughed when she realized they had blindfolded her as well.

From what she could tell she was inside some sort of van. No one else was in it with her, but she could hear voices out side of it talking. From the sound of it she would have guessed more then four, but she couldn't make out any words or tell how many there were for sure.

She forced herself to take even breaths and tried to focus on everything that she could remember about what had happened.

She had gone out that morning to walk Eddie, like always. One of the first things she did each morning, to let him do his business and so they could both get a breath of fresh air. Since she only went around the block it had been a long time since she had bothered with more then just the standard leash.

It had been the backside of the block when she heard the vehicle pull up and slow down. She hadn't thought much of it even as several people, men, had piled out. It was only then that she sensed the danger, but they had already started reaching for her.

Eddie went after them, and she was sure that he knocked at least one off his feet. But there had been to many of them, and she could still hear his whining after one of them hit him with something. What ever they had done he was seriously hurt, but after that she didn't know what happened to him.

They had already put a hood over her head at that point and were throwing her in the back of the van. It had to have been a van. She remembered the echo inside, even through the fabric, and hitting the hard metal floor. It was the same floor she was on now.

She had tried to struggle but couldn't remember much other then getting hit a few times. At least one of them had been bleeding, probably from Eddie, and there had been some yelling. After that, something must have knocked her out.

The voices out side of the van were getting louder.

"… transferring her to the room now." A pause. "'Cus Jeff was bleedin' and she was out."

The metal doors screeched as they swung open. She flinched in spite of herself at the sharp noise, and knowledge that eyes were now on her.

"She's awake now, so I don' think so."

The van sunk down as two guys got in the back, one on ether side of her.

"Look, we're movin' her now, just get down here."

There was a click and some shuffling as his phone closed and shoved it in his pocket.

Two sets of strong hands grabbed at her arms and legs. She jerked away from their grasp, already able to feel their violence.

"Gona be difficult, huh?" One of them spit out at her.

She could hear herself whimper slightly as she tried to push away from him. Something struck her stomach, knocking the wind out of her and causing her head to whiplash back into something hard then forward onto the floor.

This time it didn't knock her out but everything felt so distant, and hazy, like some horrible dream. Hands picked her up and carried her. She could hear seagulls outside, and echoes; they were in some large open building. And the smell of candy corn, she knew then she was either losing it or in New Jersey down wind of the factory. She could feel each jolt as the guy carrying her took a step. A door opened and closed. A sense of falling, this time the landing wasn't has hard.

Rebecca tried very hard to resist the urge to grab the doorman by his lapels and give him a good shake. "So let me get this straight, you saw her leave to walk Eddie, but she never came back in?"

The man looked outraged, since her tone was clearly an accusation. "I was helping Mrs. Anderson in 1208 bring in her groceries, she's nearly 90, so I was away from the door for a couple of minutes."

Somehow Rebecca managed to get herself to take a step away from the defensive doorman and close her eyes to take a breath.

She and Kevin had already checked Helena's apartment. The door had been locked, but that didn't mean much since it locked automatically every time it closed. Having a key, she had let them in, and had found what she expected: no Helena, and no Eddie. Everything looked in order, no signs of struggle, nothing missing, and nothing out of place. After checking in to confirm that Helena still hadn't shown up at work Becs decided to talk to the people in the lobby and the doorman.

"Fine, fine. I get the picture." She turned away to go look for Kevin.

He was over in a corner on his cell phone right where she had left him over five minutes ago.

Defeated she started walking toward him. As she did she noticed that his pacing had changed. Something was wrong. Just before she got to him he hung up and turned to look at her. His expression confirmed it.

"That was Dave. He looked at what footage he could and she did leave the building, but she never went back in, at least not through the front." Rebecca could feel her stomach drop and her heart go cold as he spoke. "A utility van pulled in around back while she was there. It stopped for a few seconds, and with it mostly in the blind spot he could only see the passenger getting out and hop back in before driving off." There was a heavy silence between them. "He tried but couldn't track the van; it had no lettering, plates, or anything else to distinguish it."

Rebecca closed her eyes and blindly reached for one of the chairs near by. She nearly missed it, but dropped down into it and held her head in her hands.

"Why?"

Kevin put his hand on her shoulder. "I don't know." His voice was quiet and he couldn't help but shake his head. "Your guess is as good as mine."


	13. Chapter 13

Author's Babblings: All right, here's the next bit. I hope you all remember that this is a _very_ rough draft. It's just that I know what it feels like to be left hanging, and for that reason I'm going to try and bang out the next chapter as soon as I can. And for those who've been following, this isn't out of left field, I did hint at this. I'm just curious if anyone noticed it.

Chapter 13

Pain began seeping in, causing Helena to realize that she must have lost consciousness again. This time she focused on staying still, taking deep breaths, and taking in as much of her surroundings as she could.

She was still bound, gagged, and blindfolded. This time she had to stifle a nervous laugh at the last one. She was lying on some sort of old mattress or padding that smelled of mold and dust. Off to her side she could hear a drop of water hit a puddle on the floor. The sound it made told her the room was barren, it's walls, floor and ceiling most likely made of some hard unadorned material.

Footfalls outside her room caught her attention; they steadily got louder, drawing near the door, which she guessed was in the wall in front of her. There were two sets of them that she could hear and the murmuring of two distinct voices, both male, confirmed that.

"… to wait for him."

That one sounded younger to her if she had to guess.

"Yah, and he said he'd be here by now." The second was deeper and belonged to the man who had spoken on the phone before when they had taken her out of the van. "Besides, I was just guna start askin' her some questions. Every minute that goes by is one less minute of daylight."

"Fine, but we should give him a few more minutes in case he got stuck in traffic or something."

The older one didn't reply, but she listened as their footsteps moved away from her.

When she could no longer be sure if what she heard was them walking or water dripping somewhere else in the building, she got back to figuring out what she was going to do next. Moving her hands revealed that however they had tied them was starting to come lose. Having never been tied up before she just kept moving her hands around hoping that the knot would slip or get loser.

Whatever they had used was rough and cutting into her skin, but she kept at it, adrenaline helping to blot out the pain. As she felt it start to come free she realized just how much her hands were shaking, because she could hardly get them to grasp at the rope to get it off.

She forced herself to take three deep breaths before sitting herself up right and grabbing at what was around her ankles. It was the same sort of rope and after taking a minute or two to study the feel of the knot she managed to get her fingers working enough to start undoing it. Her sweatpants and thick socks had saved her ankles from the same sort of abrasions her writs had, but not the bruising.

With both bounds off, she felt around what she was lying on. It was an old bare mattress that was sitting directly on a concrete floor. The wall it had been pushed up against was made of concrete as well, and both were cool and rough to the touch.

Carefully she started pulling away the tape over her mouth. It took a lot of control, but she managed to stifle almost all sounds of pain as it took at least one layer of skin with it. Without thinking she yanked the blindfold off, only to have to stifle another cry. They had caught some of her hair in the knot when it had been tied.

She froze, listening very carefully. There was movement in the other room, but it didn't sound like any one was heading over to check on her.

Her glasses. For some reason that was the first thing to pop into her head. It was absurd to say the least, but she always wore them so it just felt strange without them.

Taking another deep breath she eased her weight off of the mattress and knelt on the floor. She crept along on her hands and knees, running her fingers over the floor and up the wall as far as she could without standing. Until she got to the door she was going to assume that there was a window in it.

It was slow going, but she focused on it, knowing that it could be her only chance at getting out. She was so focused that she didn't hear the footsteps until they were stopping just out side the door.

She could hear the metal of the door handle smack the concrete after it was thrown open and froze, her hands feeling that section of wall. The silence that followed was momentary.

His voice filled the room, "What the hell do you think you're doin'?"

The next thing she knew she was getting dragged back by her hair and thrown down on the mattress. Her terror muddled all of the yelling leaving her hears ringing and the sound of her heart slamming in her chest louder then everything else. Even before he had grabbed her she could feel the malicious character that lay within him.

They were all possessed to varying degrees by something that drove them to doing harm. But for some reason she could tell little else.

It took her a minute to realize that he was yelling some question at her.

"Tell us everything that you know, now, or I swear I will make you regret it!"

She knew that she was shaking so badly it probably looked like she was nodding yes.

The crinkling of paper made her realize that he must have been holding some sort of photograph or image up to her face.

She tried to find her voice but it just wasn't coming.

A large hand grabbed a hold of her hair again, shaking her.

"I said talk!"

His breathe reeked of garlic and onion, and he needed a bath; making it all the more difficult to try and get the air she needed to say anything.

"I. I… I don't know…"

"You're in the picture with him! Don't tell me you don't know!"

His yelling so close to her ears made everything that much worse. "I can't…"

"Yes, you can!"

He shook her again, practically lifting her off the ground by her hair. The oddest part was that all background noise seemed to have died away. And in that silence, a pair of men's dress shoes clicked to a halt in what she guessed was the door way.

"What part of 'wait for me' did you not understand?"

At the sound of the cultured voice the hand holding her hair let go, and the man controlling it took a step away from her and turned to face the new comer.

Using that opportunity Helena backed herself into the corner of the mattress and the wall, and curled up into as small a ball as she could. It was a struggle not to let herself succumb to hysterics, but she pushed through it to pay attention to every last detail that she could.

The man who had been attacking her seemed at a loss for words. "She got untied and was trying to get away."

"The door was locked?"

"Of course."

"Then what was the problem?" the more cultured voice was gaining a slight edge and that seemed to intimidate everyone, especially the man he was focused on.

"I just, she was tryin'… I figured I could start gettin' her talkin' 'bout him."

There was a heavy sigh as the man in charge took two more steps into the room. "I'm at a loss as to how the information about her being blind did not make it to you. But she is. And as I am sure you can imagine, that would make it is rather difficult for her to identify someone from a photograph."

The silence was heavy enough that she was certain all those in the room could hear her shaky breathes.

The man in charge gave a single command. "Get out."

With that the one who had been attacking her and the others who had been around all got away from the room and the hard heals of two more pairs of dress shoes signaled the entry of new comers. The scrape of metal told her that one of them had just set a chair down. Someone, she assumed the boss, sat in it as the other closed the door.

"My apologies about the misunderstanding."

Where the others had scared her, there something much darker about these men made her freeze completely with fear.

"However make no mistake, if we have to hurt you to get what we need then we will. So why don't you cooperate and make this easier for all of us."

The calm way he said it confirmed that he meant every word and killing her wouldn't bother him in the least.

Through her shaking lips she just managed a whisper, "What do you want from me?"

"Pardon," There was a creak as he leaned toward her in his chair. "Was that 'what do you want from me'?"

She managed to nod her head in response.

"Ah, you see, you have been seen with a gentleman that we have been… looking at for some time. We have photographs of you talking with him in Central Park on three consecutive nights." As he spoke she simply got more confused. "So far as we can tell this is the longest he has spent with someone not of his kind." The last word was spat out like some bit of food that tasted most foul.

Helena could feel herself shaking her head. Nothing was making any sense.

"There are things out there, vile, disgusting, creatures, that live by taking the lives of others. Vampires. They do exist and we are part of a group that is dedicated to tracking them down and destroying them for the good of the human race. If you help us we will do what we can to protect you. Although, if he has already taken some of your blood, which you would be unaware of, then he is able to control you without your knowing. And if that has happened… well, the best thing at that point would be for us to offer you a swift and merciful death."

They were insane, that was the only logical explanation to all of this that Helena could find. They were out of their minds and he truly believed everything he was saying.

"Whether you believe or not is of little consequence to me. But since you most likely hold the key to where he sleeps during the daylight hours, when he is vulnerable, well… with or without belief, I think you are smart enough to see our interest in you Miss. Travers. Or may I call you Helena?"

There was something about hearing him say her name that snapped her out of it and made her sick to her stomach at the same time. "No, you may not." Her voice still shook but gained some strength as she went. "Look, I don't know what you're talking about and I don't care. I know next to nothing about the man who I've been talking with in the park and he certainly didn't tell me anything about where he hides his coffin during the day. And even if he did, why would I tell you? He has been nothing but a gentleman while you kidnap me, tie me up, stuff me in a van, hit me, and probably killed Eddie, my Seeing Eye dog!"

A small voice told her that she had gone to far with the last bit, but it was to late to take it back.

There was a pause before a heavy exhale, "I see." She knew she was in trouble and could feel herself start to shake again. "Well, that is unfortunate. However what we do is more important than any one person."

With that he stood and the two men who had been in the room with them followed him out with out saying a word.

After they left everything blurred together and she lost all sense of time. Those three didn't return, but the men from before did, all five of them.

Through the yelling and the pain she had trouble keeping her mind clear on what was going on. While they took breaks more then one mentioned wishing they were at their normal facility with all their tools. She didn't want to think about what that meant. One thing she did note was that even though they were hurting her they hadn't broken any bones or hit her head too hard. She did catch them saying at least once that they weren't supposed to hurt her too badly, just to make sure they didn't kill her.

The worst part was when they left her alone in the room. Because that was when she had no choice but to think about what she had told them, in spite of herself. She told them his full name, Damek Anghelescu, that he hadn't been in the city long, he was a businessman but wasn't in New York for that, and was originally for Europe.

It seemed to her that everything she told them they already knew, but it still felt like a betrayal of the worst kind since she knew they wanted to know this so that they could kill him. She wasn't sure what she would say if she saw him again. Although, she knew that was the least of her problems since she doubted that she would make it out of that room, let alone the building, alive.

During the first time they left the room and closed the door she had gotten up to figure out if the door had a window in it. It didn't but she had the door opened into her face and got an extra couple of smacks of trying. The second time she didn't get caught up and about, but also determined that there were no windows within her reach on any of the walls.

From what she could tell they seemed to have given up on getting any more out of her. It had been what felt like hours sense the last one had been in with her. She was lying on her side, curled up in a ball in the corner of the room on the mattress. Even though she could catch some of what they were saying out side, she didn't try to listen. They were discussing what to do with her. It was getting urgent because apparently the sun was starting to set and they needed to decide before nightfall.

At that point she knew her chances were slim if they existed at all, and that praying was about the only thing left that she could do.


	14. Chapter 14

Author's Babblings: Hi. Enjoy.

Chapter 14

Damek awoke early, before the sun had fully set. The reason for his awakening was not readily apparent but he felt it, as soon as he awoke he knew something was wrong. Moving quickly he braved the remaining sunlight in order to get to the city as quickly as he could. What ever was wrong his first instinct was to go and meet with Helena to make sure that she was safe before doing anything else. He didn't question this; he had stopped questioning his instincts a long time before and was hardly going to start now.

Rebecca had started walking with no particular destination in mind, but found herself walking through Central Park toward a very particular area, one bench specifically. Checking her watch she noted that it was almost exactly the time that Helena would be getting there, if it were a normal day.

She didn't expect her missing friend to be there, but was drawn there for lack of anything else to do. Earlier she had more or less been told to either take a break getting dinner or she would be ordered home for the night. Not being a fool she knew that if she took the first option she could go back to work later, she would have to be off for at least an hour to get away with it.

And so, here she was, walking in Central Park after having inhaled a slice of pizza, killing time before she could get back to work.

As she got near that area she heard a number of voices and a bit of a commotion, causing her to pick up her pace.

"Gaah," A male voice yelled. "We're trying to help you, you mangy mutt!"

When Rebecca got to the bench her first assessment of the situation was that there were three animal control officers trying to capture a good sized animal that was moving around in the bushes and underbrush a little ways behind the bench.

A woman tried taking a couple of steps forward as she spoke in the high pitched soothing voice people use with dogs and babies. "It's ok little guy, we aren't going to hurt you."

"Little?" the man interjected sarcastically.

Just as the woman was getting in position to snare the dog it broke to the side letting out a rather mean sounding growl as it went. It stayed under cover of the bushes but the movement gave Rebecca a quick glimpse, and it looked to be a rather large dog, around the size of a German Shepard.

The third man, who was trying to move through the bushes to block that rout called to the others. "I'm pretty sure that it's hurt. I see some blood and it looked to be limping."

The sarcastic guy who was near the woman, tried approaching from one side using his own sing song voice. "Come on you stupid dog, we're only going to hurt you if you keep trying to get away from us."

She had positioned herself to try and catch it off guard from the side. The plan didn't work but with them where they were and the other in the bushes the dog was forced to leave cover to evade capture.

It was a German Shepard, and it was limping badly staying off of one of it's hind legs and looked to be hurt in some other areas too. Now cornered and unable to move around much more it crouched down and curled up its lips letting out a blood-chilling growl. Despite looking like it had been through hell, Rebecca was pretty sure she recognized it.

The workers took a step back to try and think of how best to catch the dog without getting attacked.

The sarcastic guy spoke first. "I'm thinking someone should go get the trank gun. So what if it's hurt and shooting it might hurt it more. At this point I think it's just a question of whether it's the one getting hurt or we are."

The woman shot him a look that Rebecca couldn't see before responding, clearly outraged. "It's just trying to protect it's self."

"Yah, and that's what I'm trying to do too."

Rebecca had enough of it. "Did any of you bother trying a command or two?"

All three spun around to take a look at her.

The man in the bushes called out, "you should leave. We're here catching a stray dog who I'm pretty sure you can see is dangerous."

Mr. Sarcastic had to put in his two cents. "Yah, and we don't need bystanders who have no idea what they're talking about telling us how to do our job."

That put Rebecca off completely. "So I'll take that as a no."

All three shot each other looks that she recognized as 'what, is this lady crazy'.

The woman decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. "We got a call about a possibly rabid dog, it's clearly an injured stray. We're just trying to get it in before it hurts someone."

Taking a couple of steps toward them Rebecca tried again. "I see what you mean, but you should have tried."

"Listen lady, I don't know who the hell you think you are, but you need to get out of here." Turning his back to the dog Mr. Sarcastic actually took a couple of steps toward Rebecca.

She didn't flinch, instead opting to flash her badge, which worked to stop him and cause him to shut up for a moment.

"Look, I don't mean to tell you how to do your job, but why don't I give it a try and see what happens?" Moving around him and closer to the dog Rebecca used a very clear and commanding voice, "Quiet. Down. Side. Stay"

There was a moment's hesitation on the part of the dog but it stopped growling, laid down and rolled onto its side.

The three animal control workers were literally slack jawed, not sure what to make of it.

In a softer voice Rebecca informed them, "Eddie here is a seeing eye dog who's owner was abducted this morning. I'm guessing that's how he got hurt. She takes him to this spot at this time every day, which is why I'm guessing he showed up here." As she started to slowly walk toward him she called back, "why don't you give me a minute to make sure he's calm before you guys take him off to a vet."

They didn't have any objections.

As she got closer her heart began to break even more. She could tell he had gotten the short end of the stick in an unfair fight. When he started to look a bit fidgety she slowed down even more, and knelt down to his level.

"It's ok Eddie." She reached out and gently rubbed one of his ears avoiding anything that looked like it could be injured. "I know how you feel. I feel like I let her down too, but we did all we could, got that? I want her back too. It's ok Eddie, I can promise you that I'm going to get her back what ever it takes so you just need to rest up and heal for when she'll need you again."

Rebecca could hear one of the animal control officers come up behind her. It was the woman who, like her, knelt down to be on the same level as Eddie to check him out.

Out of no where sudden chill ran through her, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end and her spin go rigid. Rebecca could tell that the other woman felt it to by her sudden change in posture, and Eddie started to move, letting out a low growl again.

"Quiet. Shhh. Shhh." Rebecca worked to get Eddie calmed down as the woman beside her prepared him to be moved.

Damek watched from a distance among the trees as Becs and several strangers tended to Helena's Seeing Eye dog. He had stopped paying attention when he had gathered enough information to realize just what had happened that day.

He saw red.

Rage, pure and unadulterated, filled him causing him to let out a low growl into the night, disturbing all those near by. Above the cloudy night began to turn violent as a harsh wind blew through the trees and howled between buildings.

What vial, despicable, scum of the earth would do such a thing? Would attack and abduct a blind woman while she was simply out walking her dog? Would do as had been done to Eddie, a loyal animal merely trying to protect its owner?

But most of all; how dare they lay a finger on his lifemate.

It took him a moment to realize that he had used the word, and when he did everything in him went still, frozen.

Lifemate.

No. How could he, of all Carpathians, have missed such a thing? It simply could not be…

He felt. With her around he had regained feelings that for centuries had been lost to him.

But color…

…How can one regain something they never really lost?

He had always known color, even after he had lost his emotions. He had never stopped seeing them, merely thought he had for it was so ingrained that males of his people would lose that ability when coming of age. How could he have missed something so obvious?

The same way he missed what had been in front of him the past three nights.

Enough, there were more important matters at hand.

It took him a moment to weave basic protections around where he stood to keep any humans from seeing him while he worked. Once that was done he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and as he exhaled let go of himself and allowed the world to enter and flow through him. Information on the wind, fragments of peoples memories, whispers glimpses, scents, and brushes of contact passed through his being much like water through an open floodgate. But in the center of it was him, what he needed coming to him like all of the fish swimming straight into his net.

As the pieces came together forming a recognizable picture he slowly returned to himself and the waters slowed until they had stopped. He knew all he needed to know, mainly where she was and why she had been taken. The details would come soon enough. The faster he reached her the sooner she could be removed from the grasp of such human filth.

He removed the protections as he launched into the air, a large owl, using everything, even the wind, to help him fly faster toward his destination.


	15. Chapter 15

Author's Babblings: One thing I figured I should mention that the rating for this story will probably be going up to an M in the near future. I haven't decided for sure yet, but if it were a book from the Carpathian series it would have some mature content. If anyone has a strong feeling one way or the other please let me know.

Chapter 15

Damek slid through the crisp night air as molecules in the wind. His mind was a deathly calm in the growing storm being fueled by his fury. What bothered him the most was the proximity to the lair he had created for himself. It sickened him to think just how close he had been sleeping to where Helena had been trapped that day.

As he approached the large abandoned building he slowed, scanning it. Helena was alone in a room to the side. In the large open area there were five men, all with stronger than normal mental barriers. Even without entering their minds Damek could feel the filth and darkness that filled them. Although what he could hear from their conversation was more then enough to tell him all he needed to know of their characters.

"I don't get why we can't work her over any more." A gruff voice belonging to one of the younger ones argued.

"Or why we can't have some more fun with her." A larger, more brutish male in the group chimed in, his mind heading in only one direction since seeing her.

"Because we were told not to." The one who seemed to be leading the conversation cut them off with his clear statement. "Look. I don't like orders, but they know more about these things. And after what I heard happened to the last guys who didn't do what they were told… I, for one, don't wanna be the next."

With that the others succumbed to at least a temporary silence.

Given the decaying nature of the building Damek had already entered and drawn near the group all the while carefully remaining hidden from their eyes.

One of them pushed up from his make shift barrel seat. "I think she knows more." And with that, he turned and started to walk towards the room off to the side.

Damek's voice was dark silk and cold steal, hardly above a whisper, yet echoed through the room. "I do not think so."

With that, his form shimmered and solidified in front of the man, between him and the door to Helena. Damek grabbed the man and sunk his teeth into his neck. The rich blood poured into him, reminding him of the need that he had forgotten as soon as he had realized Helena, his lifemate, was in danger.

The others were frozen, momentarily paralyzed, unable to look away from their friend who was being drained by the very creature they had been looking for. That paralysis didn't last long. One split and ran for the door, while another ran for cover, pulling out his cell phone. The remaining two went for the van.

Tossing aside the body of the first like a limp doll, he didn't bother to close the wound. Next he moved quickly toward the one who had his phone in hand. Launching into the air as a falcon, Damek snatched the phone from his hand. He crushed the device he dropped the pieces as he continued toward the one who was half way to the door. Rather then slowing Damek slammed into the back of the fleeing man, using his momentum to tear out the throat with his talons. Before the human hit the floor his neck was mostly gone, and blood was spurting out with a rhythmic pulse. Damek took flight back towards the others, knowing that man would be dead in mere moments.

The one who had been trying to call someone had scrambled to the others, each of whom was now armed in some fashion and prepared to fight. The larger of the two held a crowbar and had a wooden stake shoved into his belt. The other, still rather large, was holding a baseball bat and had a stake as well, his hanging in a loop on his trousers. Seeing that they were not running Damek landed, shifting back into his true form and continued toward them at a leisurely walking pace.

The one whose phone he had destroyed was now trying to get one from the others. "Phone. Phone for help."

The larger one shot him a hostile look.

Even though his voice shook he was insistent. "Calling for back up."

It was the other who grabbed a phone from his back pocket and shoved it toward him, more to get him to back off. With that they began to move toward Damek, to meet him.

"Back up?" Damek asked, his voice calm and hypnotic belying the violence he felt and the red haze that clouded his mind. "I only came to retrieve the woman you kidnapped, and see what you know. Although telling me of the others would be nice gesture on your part."

The two that were armed slowed their own paces towards him, confused. The one with the phone hesitated, and glanced to his two fallen comrades before looking questioningly at the device in his hand.

Damek stopped walking as the other two pulled out from his control and continued their advance. Before the third could make his call, the phone in his hand changed shape into a serpentine beast that bound his hands and wound up around his neck and mouth cutting off the scream that had already started to emerge from his lips.

The other two glanced back and were horrified with what they saw.

Using the opening Damek sprang forward, his movement only a blur as he grabbed the one holding the baseball bat, exposing his neck. As he sunk his fangs into the vulnerable flesh he pierced the man's mental barriers. A single glance froze the one holding the crowbar in his place. When he had all that he needed he dropped him much as he had the first.

Fixing his gaze on the one bound by the own cellular phone, Damek pushed through his mind and found much the same information. Using the serpent he snapped the man's neck and turned to the final member of the group. This was the man who had done most of the beating, and would have raped Helena as well.

Stepping over the body in front of him, Damek released him from the spell. His voice was made of ice as he spoke in a low tone. "I do not kill for pleasure. I do not kill without reason. I kill, only when it is required of me, to protect my people."

Now able to move the large man knew from experience not to waste time with talk and rushed Damek as he readied a swing with his crowbar. Just in front of Damek though, only a mater of inches from making contact, both he and the crowbar came to an abrupt halt. For the first time since the beginning of the fight, he realized that he was frozen, and terror filled him. The creature before him was more powerful than he had imagined and he now knew that there was no chance of his living.

Damek held his eyes, and invaded his mind, not attempting to shield his presence. "You, however, I look forward to killing."

Damek took hold of the crowbar and bent it as he removed it from the man's frozen grasp. With a single hand he took hold of his collar and pulled him close before sinking his teeth into the side of the thick neck.

The rich blood laced with adrenalin tasted unlike anything Damek had ever had before. While his need for blood had been sated, his need for this man's lifeblood was a thirst that consumed him. He could feel the life draining from the man as he fed. When the other man's knees buckled, Damek felt a small level of satisfaction and did not slow his draining of the vital liquid. The thug knew that he was dying, and was feeling every last moment of it.

A small sound of distress broke through the red cloud of Damek's rage. It had not come from the man he was draining but from a closed room not far away.

It was a splash of cold water, as he once again became aware of what was around him and could feel her fear.

Even with that awakening to what he was doing, it took him a moment to regain control. Breaking the man's neck and dropping him to the ground took more of Damek's will then he cared to admit. And it took another few moments and a deep, controlled, breath for him regain his composure.

Turing to toward the door he could not help but feel shame at what he had nearly done; what he would have done. He, who had not been that close to turning, would have stepped over that threshold with his lifemate so close by. What anger that remained dissipated, allowing him to start walking toward the room.

The first thing he saw upon opening the door was her flinching, pulling herself into an even tighter ball where she lay in the corner. A piece of his heart broke at the sight. However, that quickly gave way to a new found hate of those who now lay in the room behind him. The sight of her bruised bloodied, and shaking with fear while lying on a filthy, old mattress in the dirty, barren room made him realize that each of those men was fortunate to already be dead.

Helena had pressed herself into the corner before the fight had even begun. Nothing seemed to make sense. She covered her ears to try and block the noises, but that could not block what she felt. There was fear, and an overwhelming sense of anger and hate that expanded to fill the whole building. As it went each source of fear peaked and disappeared, one at a time. Her mind was in chaos and her shaking got progressively worse. When it was down to one point of fear, it became so overwhelming that she could not help but let out a slight whimper.

Then it was over.

She was alone with her fear, and a hollow feeling in her chest. The only one left alive was distant to her, and conflicted.

She could hear footsteps getting louder as they approached the door. The metallic sound of the doorknob turning, and the creak of the hinges made her flinch.

She didn't have to hear him speak; he didn't even have to open the door for her to know who it was.

Damek.

As she felt his anger return she bit her quivering lip to keep from crying out, but the pain of doing that to a lip that was bruised and broken caused her to gasp quietly instead.

The whispered word tore from his throat along with a piece from his already tattered soul. "Helena"

It took what will power he had left not to rush to her side, but instead to walk slowly towards her. He could feel her panicked mind spinning out of her control.

She pushed herself so that she was sitting up right, keeping her back against the wall and shoulder pressed into the corner.

As Damek took his slow and calculated steps he touched her mind with his. He worked to calm her chaotic thoughts as he gently began to align her rapid breathing and heart rate with his slower ones.

It would have worked except she felt his intrusions and mentally pulled back, panicking even more. She threw up a feeble mental barrier to keep him out, as she pushed herself up into a standing position even though it made her feel exposed, and vulnerable. She was hyperventilating, causing her already spinning head to turn even faster. Having had nothing to eat and little water all day, and standing too quickly, her mind fractured. She grasped at the walls as she grasped at lucid thought, but both slid from her grasp.

Damek closed what little distance was left between them when she lost consciousness, and caught her before she could fall any further. The feel of her in his arms burned him, threatening his already tenuous hold on rational thought.

The protections he worked up around the building were sloppy but would do for the few minutes that he would be gone.

He took her to his lair, treating her as he would the finest and most delicate of porcelain. Once safe within its earthen walls he called upon the elements to create a bed in the middle of the sparse room. It was simple but would do with sheets made of the softest cotton, and a mattress that gently cradled her motionless form as he laid her atop it. Taking a moment to sit beside her on the edge of the bed, he could not help but brush a few golden strands of hair from her face. The ugly bruise his fingertips passed over to do that made him cringe. He had to take a deep breath to force himself to not begin healing her then and there. The only thing he did was mentally push her into a deep sleep so that she would not awake until he chose.

With that ensured, he returned to the warehouse to deal with the bodies. He forced her from his thoughts as he focused on constructing every detail exactly as it should be. Humans had come a long way in their methods of investigation, and he could not risk his people being exposed due to a small error on his part.

Damek arranged the bodies so as to create a believable fight in which all of the participants perished and resulted in a fire that would consume most of the building. Rather then erase Helena's presence he worked that evidence to tell of her being there, and hurt, but escaping sometime before the building went up in flames. He arranged that in the portion of the building that would see the least damage from the fire.

With everything in place Damek removed his protections, started the blaze and mentally called a security guard from a near by building over to look for the source of some strange noises.

Damek remained long enough to know that what needed to be destroyed was destroyed, and to see the fire department arrive and gain control, and save what needed to be found. While that moment took only a matter of minutes to come, for him it felt like hours. But once it passed he was off into the night, and back to his lifemate who needed him as much, if not more then, he needed her.


	16. Chapter 16

Author's Babblings: I think you all should thank me. I was originally planning on putting most of the first paragraph of this chapter at the end of the last one. I was going to make the last sentence 'Upon reentering the room his heart stopped as his eyes fell on the empty bed.' I decided that would have been too mean. Now on with the story… and the poll of just how serious it should get between Helena and Damek.

Chapter 16

As soon as Damek began removing the protections he had placed on the lair he could sense that something was wrong. All of the barriers he had placed were intact. But something was not right, causing his heart to creep into his throat and him to work faster. Upon reentering the room his heart stopped as his eyes fell on the empty bed. Beyond the pounding of his own heart, his ears picked up the lighter faster beat of another. Stepping to the side, he moved around the bed so he could see the portion of the room it blocked.

In the far corner sat Helena; awake, wrapped in a blanket, her back pressed against the wall, her knees pulled to her chest.

Seeing her allowed him to take a full breath of air, and return his heart rate to its normal steady beat. He gently touched her mind, and found it nearly as chaotic as before. Not wanting to make the same mistake twice he simply monitored her thoughts as he moved to one of the few items in the room, a small cabinet with a brazier on top.

As he walked toward it he passed one of the other objects in the room, an old-fashioned tub already filled with water. As odd as it may seem for one of his people, he enjoyed the simple act of bathing. This evening though it would prove to be of real use, since unlike him, Helena would need such a thing in order to recover from the day.

When Damek reached the cabinet he removed several herbs from within, crushing them between his fingers, and adding them to the metal pan. He murmured a few words, causing the coals to spring to life, which began filling the room with soothing incense.

Turning back to Helena he moved to the corner of the bed closest to her and sat on it, afraid that getting closer would push her too far. Her mind was still whirling, but seemed to be settling from where it had been.

"You're not human, are you." A mortal would have missed her whispered words, but his ears caught them clearly.

Taking a breath, he responded, even though it was not a question. "No. I am not."

She spoke again, her voice still low and monotone. "And you need to drink people's blood, killing them, to survive."

"I do need to drink blood to live, but there is no need to kill. In truth, there is no need for them to even be aware of the fact that it has happened."

"How?"

Even though it was a single word Damek took a moment before responding. "I can alter memories by erasing events, and implanting others."

Her lower lip began to quiver again. "Was that what you were doing to me before?"

His grip on the edge of the bed tightened, as he fought to maintain every appearance of calm. "I was trying to calm you."

Her voice still shook, but had gained a little strength, as if the words were not as hard to get out. "Have you ever…"

"No," He kept his tone from sounding harsh, but her fear of him stung, and his need of her was growing. "I have not done anything to your memories."

There was a short pause before she added, "my blood?"

"No," His grip on the bed began to warp the wood, and it started to splinter.

Helena flinched, pulling her legs just a little closer. She could feel his pain, his confusion, his anger.

Damek couldn't help but push to his feet, his voice pleading. "Please do not be afraid. You need never fear me."

He had to force himself to move to the other side of the bed. Try as he might, his need to hold her, touch her, merge with her mind, and heal her was growing too strong for him to hold it back much longer. He nearly laughed at the realization that he had held her only once and already it hurt to remain apart.

She could feel his discomfort, and struggled to understand what was happening. "Why did you kill them?"

Her question helped by giving him something else to think about. "Because if I had not they would have gone on searching for me and members of my people, killing any and all that they could."

Her voice, still soft, asked its first true question. "Vampires?"

"No." The word came out harsher then he had meant, and he fought to return to a calm tone to explain. "We are not vampires. We are Carpathians, people of the earth. We can only tolerate limited amounts of sunlight. During the day we sleep in the ground, which heals and restores us. We can live for centuries. And we need to feed on human blood to survive, but do not kill while doing so…" He took a deep breath, "it is forbidden."

Damek had to take another moment to decide how best to continue explaining his people. "All Carpathians are born with souls that are incomplete. We each have one other that is meant for us, the other half of ourselves. A male, once he matures, losses his ability to see color, and to feel emotions such as joy, sorrow, pain, and happiness. The only way for him to regain those things is to find his other half, his lifemate. As time passes he will lose more and more of his soul; the more he losses, the greater his risk of losing it completely. If he does that, he has given up on life, and he is no longer a Carpathian, but has become a monster incapable of feeling, that lives only to kill and cause pain: a Vampire.

Mine is a dying race, and most of those that remain are male. With few females born, and fewer still surviving past their first year, more and more males are giving up hope and joining the ranks of the undead. We take responsibility for those that were our own. There are Carpathians whose duty it is to track down and kill these abominations."

Helena nodded. Damek could sense that her mind was still reeling from everything that he had just told her, but he took it as a good sign that she was getting calmer and more focused as their conversation had gone on.

She licked her lips and gathered her courage, but what she asked took him off guard. From within the sheet she pulled out her left hand and held it up in his direction, palm up. "Come here, please."

Damek slowly moved around the bed and walked toward her, never taking his eyes from her out stretched hand. Without touching her mind he knew that she was not asking for a hand up, but to have his hand. When he was close enough he put his left hand in hers.

At the contact she gently took hold of his hand and pulled out her right hand, placing it over the back of his. Gently her fingers began to move over his hand, feeling the back, the palm, down each finger to its pad, running hers over his knuckles. After studying his hand hers began to work their way up his wrist, to his forearm, feeling the muscle and form through his silk button down.

When she was starting to have to reach he knelt down so that she could continue without having to move.

Her hands worked their way up to his shoulder then across to the other. She did the same down his right arm, taking longer with it, knowing from touch that it was his dominant arm. Skimming back up his arm she laid a hand on either shoulder, feeling each contour, each muscle, each sinew. They met at the base of his throat and began to work down his chest, across his pectorals, running along each rib, delicately outlining each abdominal muscle.

As her hands reached his hips Damek realized that his own breath was getting uneven, and was forced to swallow a groan. Even as he questioned how much more he could take he knew that he had no choice but to remain still and let her finish.

Each hand ran over the top of one of his thighs down to his knees. She only briefly studied his calves, gliding over his ankles before running her hands up the outside of either leg. Each hand rested over a hipbone before sliding up his waist and around to the small of his back. From there they worked up to the bottom of his shoulder blades before sliding back around to the front of his chest.

It took effort for him to lean back after having moved so close as to have a tantalizing whiff of her own unique smell.

Her hands slid over his shoulders and worked from his shoulder blades up. When she reached the nap of his neck she took his ponytail in hand and drew it over his shoulder. She ran her hands down it and measure its length, and her fingers through it to study to feel and texture of his hair. She pushed it back over his shoulder when she was done and began working her fingers around his neck. She felt around the collar of his shirt, outlining where it ended and his bare skin began.

He could feel the sweat gathering on his back, and the first drop as it rolled between his shoulder blades, going down the path her hands had taken up.

Her fingers worked their way up the front of his throat, across his Adams apple, to his chin. They followed his jaw line up to his ears and along his hairline until they met. Finally her fingers began to slowly work their way down his face, across his forehead and the ridge of his brow. He closed his eyes as they gently passed over, feeling the shape and position of them. They moved across his cheekbones and down his nose as her thumbs followed the contour of cheeks. And finally they came to his lips, by this point her touch was feather light and her fingers were trembling.

As she started to pull her hands away he caught them, and held them in place. She froze, and he could hear her breath catch. When she did not try to pull away he slowly shifted each hand so that he was holding the fingers and her battered knuckles were exposed.

Every bit as slow and methodical as she had been, he touched his lips to each of her knuckles, kissing them, and swirling his tongue over each wound. She jumped at the first contact his tongue made with her skin, but didn't pull her hands back. He knew that when he finished with those, he would have to explain before moving on to any more of her injuries.

Reluctantly he lowered her hands, but did not let go of either.

Damek kept his voice low and soothing. "The saliva of my people has healing properties, and speeds up the process considerably. So please allow me to do this since you received these injuries because of me, and for that I take the blame." He watched her closely as he continued, "We have dealt with people like those who took you before. They do not know, or care, to differentiate between Carpathian and Vampire. They are part of the reason there are so few of us left. Over the centuries they have killed hundreds of our women and children. They are fanatics. They will never stop, so either they kill us or we kill them."

Helena thought a moment before her expression became puzzled, "but their memories…"

Damek knew where she was going and shook his head. "No, it does not work. Most fanatics are aware of the fact that we can manipulate their minds, and undergo repeated hypnosis sessions making it impossible for us to alter their memories without them knowing." Looking at her hands, which he was still holding in his, he remembered what he had asked her. "Please, will you allow me to tend to the wounds you received because of me?"

She started to shake her head. "It's not your fault…"

Damek cut her off. "Then because I am indebted to you." His voice dropped to a whisper that she could only just hear, but even then saying them was like wrenching out yet another piece of his soul. "The way most males lose themselves, and become a Vampire, is by killing when they feed. The rush of adrenaline, and power, it sweeps away what is left of their soul. Tonight… I would have, if you hadn't…" he couldn't say the words. "I owe you my soul. The words 'thank you' are not enough for something like that. Surely you must understand…"

As his eyes studied her face he realized that mentally she had pulled away from him and that something was wrong. He watched as she bit down on a quivering lip and tears began to fill her eyes. She shook her head, turning her face down and away from him.

She was barely able to get the words out as tears began to fall down her cheeks. "I'm sorry." She started to pull her hands away from his. "No, I talked… I told them…" She tried to breathe deeply but still choked on the words. "I betrayed you."

Helena was starting to get hysterical, which alarmed him as nothing else could. He pulled her into his arms and began stroking her hair, and could not help but touch his mind to hers to try and figure out what she was talking about. When he realized that she felt guilty because she had told them what she had known for sure over the course of the day he had to fight to maintain his composure.

"You did not betray me. You did nothing wrong." He wove a compulsion into his words to ensure that she was hearing and understanding them. Without thinking he simply began whispering the words into her mind. _It's all right. There is nothing for you to feel badly for lifemate. Helena, you did nothing wrong. You untied yourself. You tried to escape. You did everything that you could my beloved. There was nothing else for you to do. Only someone with training and experience could have done any better. You had neither, and did not break. Everything you told them was general, and did not put me in any danger. You did not tell them what you suspected, what you guessed at from our time together._

Through some combination of the incense, his words, and exhaustion, her tears began to ease. Gently he released her and wiped them from her cheeks.

"Helena, please, may I tend to your injuries?"

There was something about the way he said it that made her heart ache. She nodded, before whispering "Ok."

Damek could not help but brush a few lose hairs behind her ear before rolling back on his heals and preparing to stand. When Helena started to do the same he stopped her by lifting her in his arms and carrying her to the bed.

"I can walk you know."

Glad to hear her slight reprimand Damek could not help but respond. "I am sure, but why should you when there is no need. Besides I have not examined you yet, so I do not know."


	17. Chapter 17

Author's Babblings: Sorry for the last chapter break, it seemed a bit odd to me but it was the closest thing to a stopping place that I could decide on. And the time delay; the end of the semester was especially crazy. Then I was supposed to fly home through Heathrow. If you've been watching the news, I think you can guess how well that went. Then I got redirected through Paris, and the terminal they were worried about collapsing when they started running low on de-icing agent (the roof is made of glass and not particularly well made either). And while I did manage to get home for Christmas, I promptly got sick. However, my explanations and quirky behavior are not why you're here, so on with the story.

Chapter 17

Damek placed Helena on the bed and sat beside her. "May I examine you? It will not be invasive, you will not feel a thing, simply sit still."

Helena nodded; her voice was still horse and soft. "Alright."

Damek gently took her hands, looking them over along with her wrists. He had to suppress the urge to let out a growl, and very nearly forgot to block his emotions from her. After that he carefully took her chin, turning her head so that she was facing him. It was clear that she would have at least one black eye, along with bruising down the side of her face. Both her lips were split at least once; blood was still flowing, very slowly, from the worst on the bottom lip. Her forehead was scraped, with a particularly nasty gash above her left eye.

With some concentration Damek moved outside of himself to examine those wounds that he could not see. None of her bones were broken, although there were a few scattered fractures. She would have several sore ribs, and a number of nasty look bruises. Her left wrist was sprained, although she had hardly noticed it. Carefully he went through her, identifying all traumas she had suffered.

As he returned within himself Damek gave a silent prayer, thankful that she had not suffered any major injuries and that she had not been raped. Although he knew that they had been ordered to not cause her any major injury. They had not known the reasons for it, but they had suspicions as to the reasons for wanting to guarantee that she lived, such as using her as leverage, or bait. But the underlings he had eliminated had not known anything for sure, or who they got their orders from, which concerned him. It was not that he worried about finding the information; he knew that he could do that. He merely wanted to find out soon, so that he could eliminate any further threats to Helena.

Brushing Helena's mind Damek sensed that her thoughts were claming, but still distant. "Helena," he placed a hand on her back, to ensure that she was aware of the here and now. "If it is alright with you, I will go and get you something to eat and give you a chance to bathe with privacy." Also, he needed to contact his Prince, and given her sensitivity he did not consider it necessary to concern needlessly.

Helena sighed, her exhaustion beginning to show. "I suppose that tepid water is better then no bath at all, especially since I really need one."

Helping her rise, Damek could not help but ask, "Tepid? What makes you think that it will not be warm?"

She snorted; Damek could hear the eye roll in her voice. "I felt around the room and found the bath tube. It's filled with room temperature water."

Guiding her closer, a slight smile graced his lips as he focused on the water.

Taking her hand he brought her fingers down to the water's now steaming surface, and watched the confusion spread across her features.

"But how?"

Letting go of her hand Damek moved around her to the small cabinet to get soaps for her to clean herself with and scented bath salts. "It is a simple thing for one of my people."

While this took her off guard, her mind worked through it excepting the information in a surprisingly fast manor. "As is walking through walls I suppose? Since I know that there are no doors or windows, at least not within my reach. We are underground, aren't we?"

Damek could not help but feel pride at how quickly his lifemate could adapt to what ever she was faced with. "We are underground, but no, I can not walk through walls. I am capable of shifting my form into mist, allowing me to move through gaps. And moving the earth requires little more then a thought."

"You can shape shift." Her tone was flat, she had to say it out loud to be sure she had heard right. "So, could you turn into something like a bat if you wanted to?"

Damek let out a soft chuckle at her use of the stereotype. "If I wanted to, however predators such as wolves, large cats, or owls are more preferred among my people then _bats_."

Turning toward him Helena tipped her head to the side, concentrating on him. "Was that censure?"

He sighed. "Not entirely, it is simply that my people do not like anything that relates them to a Vampire, whether real, or the cultural creation."

Helena paused to process this. "I suppose that makes sense."

Fashioning a large soft towel and long bathrobe from the elements Damek handed both to Helena. "Here, I will return shortly, but do not feel rushed. I can wait outside for as long as you need."

Helena nodded, taking both items back to the bed.

Damek turned, opening the earth above him, taking off into the night air. He closed the earth beneath him as he continued toward the city. There was no way that he would do anything that might draw attention to the temporary home he had made for himself. Besides, there were other things that he had to take care of in preparation for what the following days would most definitely bring.

Once Helena knew that he was gone she dragged off her dirty and tattered warm-up suit that she had thrown on what felt like a lifetime ago to take Eddie out for his quick morning turn around the block.

Eddie.

Her chest constricted as she remembered the sounds he had made when they attacked him. She hoped that he was all right, but knew that he would be lucky to survive, let alone recover.

She pushed that thought back to deal with later. She knew that she couldn't keep doing that, she had do deal with all of these things eventually. It was just that she couldn't do it yet, and there were things that she had to face now that couldn't wait. One of them was Damek and everything he had told her.

Slipping into the now warm, nearly hot, bath water, she knew she had to understand everything about him, because she was involved now. She was careful in methodically cleaning every inch of her skin as she turned over everything she had observed about him, and everything he had told her, in her mind. It was a lot, but things that had seemed so odd, and fractured, were starting to fit together. And there was more to the puzzle then what she had seen so far, and that was becoming clearer the more she thought it through. That didn't mean she didn't have more questions, those she had in spades.

The first thing that Damek attended to was the gathering and conjuring of what Helena would need: food and a change of cloths. It took some time, but he arranged for a property where he could 'stay' and planted what memories he need to for there to be witnesses to his arrival nearly a week before. There was also the believable story of how Helena came to enter his care, and why she could not be seen until sundown; he was not ready to let her out of his sights yet, he could not take that. But at the same time he knew that she could not, and would not, walk away from her work.

He sighed, even though he had feed well, the events of the day had taken their toll, and on more then just his body.

Focusing he reached out across the great distance to Mikhail Dubrinksy. _I am sorry my Prince, but I must delay my search for the psychic. Another matter has risen._

_Your lifemate_, was Mikhail's only response for a moment. _I understand. You must see to her before you look any further for the other psychic._

Even though Damek did not speak, Mikhail sensed that there was something more, that there was a very real danger.

_The organization is back. And has targeted me... and my lifemate._ Damek suppressed the anger as best he could over their success in taking his lifemate before he was even aware of their presence. _So far I have little information, as I have yet to track down those in charge. But I will, and will eliminate the threat. _

_I have no doubt of that. Now go, see to the safety of your lifemate._

When Damek did not withdraw, Mikhail knew that there was something more.

_My Prince, is there any security company known to our people that can be trusted?_ Damek paused before explaining, _My lifemate has… responsibilities, ones that I can not in good conscience ask her to walk away from, unless there is no other way for me to ensure her safety._

There was a pause, during which Damek was fairly certain that he was consulting someone else before saying any more.

_There is one._ Mikhail relayed the name and contact information of a highly regarded international security firm. _Others of our race have worked with her before, and even though she does not know of us, she does understand and respect our wishes._

_Thank you._ After relaying the mental image of a deep bow Damek cut of the connection.

For a moment Damek found himself faltering. He had been gone from Helena for some time, but there was still more that had to be done. Forcing himself to focus, he used his new residence to contact the security company and arrange for the immediate employment of two bodyguards to take all possible security measures so that Helena could return to her work as soon as she wished to.

With that finally done, Damek quickly returned to his lair, and Helena, who was now out of her bath, and sitting on the bed wrapped in the robe he had left with her.

He entered the underground chamber through a gap in the ceiling, which he closed behind him once his feet touched the earthen floor.

"I have brought you clothing, and food. I imagine that you must be hungry." Damek kept his tone conversational as he walked toward the bed where she sat.

She didn't have a chance to give a verbal response, in stead her stomach growled rather loudly.

Helena blushed slightly. "That would be a yes."

Damek placed the tray on the bed within her reach before sitting behind her, and brushing her hair as she ate. He did his best to ease out the knots in her hair without disrupting her eating. She focused on the food, trying to take it a bite at a time, and not inhale everything at once. And for a time, they sat in silence, a simple peace between them.


	18. Chapter 18

Author's Babblings: Ok, I am very, _Very_, VERY sorry about this last delay! …But, life is what happens while you're making other plans (or something like that). Whatever, on with the story! (And I'll try not to make this next break between chapters quite as long.)

Chapter 18

"I really am sorry Mr. Anghelescu. This whole misunderstanding, that's all it was, was just… unfortunate." The police chef kept his whole demeanor toward Damek as apologetic as possible short of getting on his knees. He did take a moment to shoot a particularly ugly look at Detective Beckerson.

She chose to ignore it, or didn't notice as she was still working on glaring a hole in the side of Damek's head. Her arms were crossed, with one foot tapping the floor where she half sat, half leaned on the edge of her desk.

It was early the next evening, shortly after sunset, inside the police precinct that Helena's detective friend had _escorted_ them to only short minutes before. Well, she had escorted Helena. She would have had Damek in handcuffs if he had not given her a clear warning, and her partner had not stopped her.

Damek did not need to read Detective Beckerson to know what she was thinking. If he had not known better he would have guessed that she was deliberately attempting to broadcast her thoughts. Regardless, he was well aware of her feelings toward him, none of them good.

"Again, I truly am sorry." With that final apology, the chief turned his attention toward Helena, who stood beside Damek with one of his arms wrapped possessively around her shoulders. "I understand that you have been through quite an ordeal, and I do feel horrible about making you go through this, but we need you to tell us what you can, to help clear up some details for us."

The leather wrap on Helena's long white cane creaked as her the grip of her right hand tightened on it. Her knuckles were turning white. Her left hand could do little more than offer a light grip because of the air cast that went from her palm to nearly her elbow. She was only half paying attention to what was going on around her. The press of people milling about, all of the sounds and smells, it was overwhelming. Honestly, she wanted little more then to leave for some place quieter, some place private. But the interview had been delayed long enough, and she needed to give her statement.

Damek was silently cursing himself for allowing this to go as far as it had. Helena, who had been distant since awakening, was clearly still in shock, overwhelmed, and emotionally fragile. The only reason he had not put a stop to it back at his residence was because of Helena's insistence. And the fact that she refused to let him heal her, not until her injuries had been properly documented grated at him, but he found himself unable, or perhaps a bit unwilling, to force her compliance.

Damek drew her closer to his side. _This can be done later._

Helena shook her head slightly, _No_.

It took a moment for the realization that neither had spoken aloud to sink into Helena's consciousness.

Pulling away from Damek, Helena murmured, "I need some water."

Even using her cane she stumbled slightly at the sudden jerk of movement. Becs caught her arm before Damek could, "Let me help you."

Wrapping a protective arm around her friend, Rebecca cast a quick guarded glance back toward Damek. There was something unnerving about his steady, unblinking gaze. Predator. It had been the word Ella had used to describe him, and at that moment Becs couldn't help but agree.

With them in the break-room Becs finally had Helena away from that man so that they could talk. Without thinking about it she glanced back at him; he appeared to be fully involved in a conversation with the Captain and her partner, Kevin, but she had the unsettling feeling that he was every bit as aware of she and Helena.

Rebecca turned back to Ella in time to see that her friend had just filled a paper cup from the water cooler. As she started to bring the cup away the edge caught on the spigot, knocking the cup from her hand, sending it and its contents to the floor. Helena jumped slightly, bumping into the cooler before catching herself on the counter.

If Becs hadn't been concerned already, what she just saw would have done it. Helena had always had a certain grace, and didn't stumble even when a sighted person would.

Taking Ella's shoulders, Becs guided her to one of the chairs sitting beside the beat-up long table. "I've got this, don't worry 'bout it."

Helena offered a weak nod, trying to take a few deep breaths and regain some sort of composure.

Rebecca quickly filled another cup and set it on the table, wrapping her friend's hand around it. Only then did she turn her attention to the spill. Tossing the cup, she grabbed a couple of paper towels and dropped them on the floor. She didn't bother leaning over, and just used her foot to push them side to side, soaking up most of the water. When she did stoop to pick it up she couldn't help but notice the nearly black impression of the soul of her shoe on the underside of the paper towel, even though she silently told herself that she hadn't seen that. Truthfully, a filthy floor was the least of her worries.

Sitting across from her friend, Rebecca leaned forward, gently taking Helena's injured hand into her own. "Talk to me." She nearly whispered, her tone pleading and pained. "Please!"

Helena took a sip of the water before carefully setting the cup down. It was clear that her hand was unsteady, but she was doing her best to hide it.

Seeing the tremor, and not getting an immediate response, Becs couldn't help but ask, "Did he hurt you? Was he the one that had you abducted? Has Damek laid a hand on you, or been threatening you?"

Before her friend was done asking, Helena was already shaking her head no.

Forging on, despite the firmness of Ella's denial, "Did he keep you in his home by force? Because after going out of my mind yesterday, I was about to try forced entry when I kept being told that I couldn't see you all of today. Hell, had we not been in _Jersey_, I would have!"

Rebecca would have kept going, but Helena finally spoke. "He has done nothing be take care of me. And I am beyond sorry that you were going crazy outside while I was sleeping the day away, but…" She didn't really know how to explain the riot of emotions that was still going through her, getting in the way of her ability to empathize with others, even Becs, one of her closest friends.

This time it was Becs who was shaking her head. "I see the way he looks at you, the possessive way he acts around you, how he doesn't want you to be separated from him. I've seen all of these behaviors before Ella; I've seen them in domestic abuse cases! I don't care how much money he has or how much influence, I will not stand by and let him…"

Helena cut her off by slapping her good hand down on the table with an impact that resonated through the noise of the room.

Becs was stunned into silence.

Helena's voice was tight with anger, and she was struggling to keep her volume controlled. "Damn it Rebecca, you aren't the only one who's around abusive relationships. If anything I'm around them a lot more then you are. And although I can hardly claim to have _seen_ those behaviors, I am capable of recognizing them! But what I find really insulting is that you think I'd fall into one overnight!"

Rebecca stammered slightly, "Ella, that's not what…"

"Yes, that's exactly what you're implying." Helena's volume increased as she cut her friend off, before forcing it back into control. "You're also implying that I don't know how to read people any more either, with the way you're still reacting to Damek. In all the years you've known me, when have I ever been wrong about someone? When have I ever completely misjudged an individual or situation?"

As Helena waited for Rebecca's response the silence that had spread through the room seemed deafening.

Taking a breath, Becs found her voice again. "You're right and I'm sorry, but nothing in the last two days has been remotely normal, and that _includes_ you. I'm just calling it like I see it."

Helena took a breath as well, trying to take some of the edge out of her tone. "Well then, what you're seeing is me still trying to cope with the fact that I got kidnapped and beaten by a bunch of nut jobs. And what you're seeing with Damek is a protective streak a mile wide because the only reason any of this happened was because I was seen talking to him! He's the one they're really after. They were just trying to use me to get to him!"

Rebecca's eyes just about popped out of her head, "What?"

It was as Becs was trying to process this that she realized that the Chief, Damek and Kevin were all standing in the doorway listening.


	19. Interlude

Interlude

I would like to thank those who have supported me a long the way, and apologize for my excessively long absence. I went through a lot and it's taken me a while to start to regain my footing in life as well as writing. But I am slowly returning to both and I hope to be able to offer a chapter soon.


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